The Steel Product Selling by the Gram

The new product from Shanxi Taiyuan Iron and Steel Company (TISCO) is a wide, flexible precision steel foil that is as thin as the wing of a cicada. At just 0.02 millimeters, it is less than a quarter of the thickness of A4 paper. As it can be effortlessly torn using just your hands, the product is known as "hand-tearable steel." 

In stark contrast to other steel products, which are ordered by the metric ton, this type of steel is sold in grams. Considered the crown jewel of the iron and steel industry, the hand-tearable steel has become a pillar of China's strategic development due to its broad applicability across high-end industries, such as nuclear power for military purposes, aviation, and new energy. The technology has been long dominated by a small number of developed countries, due to the strict technical quality standards and the great difficulties in process control. 

General Secretary Xi Jinping has stressed that China's major advancements in science and technology are extremely important and important tools for the country. They must be kept firmly in our grasp, and obtained through our own efforts in innovation. As the producer of the first batch of domestic stainless steel after the founding of the People's Republic of China, TISCO knows all too well that materials are the backbone of manufacturing. Without innovations in key materials, therefore, China will not have a strong manufacturing industry. 

To break the monopoly of developed nations, TISCO spent two years overcoming 175 equipment-related and 452 process-related challenges. TISCO's independently developed hand-tearable steel has not just matched foreign products for quality, but also surpassed them on width specifications. 

In May 2020, General Secretary Xi visited the Shanxi Taigang Stainless Steel Precision Strip Company, a subsidiary of TISCO. During his visit, he picked up and examined a strip of hand-tearable steel. Gently twisting and folding the foil in his fingers, he couldn't help but offer praise, saying, "The workmanship is indeed excellent. With all the thinness of tinfoil, this tempered steel is pliable enough to wrap around your finger." 

Behind this pliability, however, is a well-tempered toughness. Back in 2016, TISCO was finding things tough as a niche company in the stainless steel sector. Its main product at the time, a 0.5-millimeter stainless steel material, was not particularly competitive. Although a thinner stainless steel foil would produce higher value and be in greater demand, the company was unable to develop the technology for such a product. But if others had been able to do so, then surely a Chinese company could, too. In the same year, Wang Tianxiang was appointed general manager of the stainless steel precision strip company. Determined to make the break into high-end technologies, Wang set the 0.02-millimeter foil, the limit for stainless steel, as his first objective.  

A TISCO employee demonstrates how the company's 0.02mm-thick flexible precision steel foil can by torn by hand. PHOTO BY XINHUA REPORTER CAO YANG 

But setting the objective was the easy part in an extremely difficult undertaking. The production of hand-tearable steel involves about 20 different processes, with five core technical issues that must be mastered—steel purity, the production line process, control standards, high-grade surface accuracy, and product performance. One of the greatest challenges lies in rolling the steel. As the thickness was reduced from 0.05 millimeters to 0.03 and 0.02 millimeters, the rolling mill, which was made up of 20 cylinders, had to be re-equipped for each 0.01-millimeter adjustment, with about 20,000 different combinations possible for the rolling system. 

This however was not the biggest issue. Breakages and cracks in the rolls were a constant headache. The loud bang of each breakage would send all the team's previous efforts up in smoke. This drove the project's technical director, Liao Xi, to the verge of collapse on several occasions. He complained to Wang Tianxiang, "We've tried hard but we can never produce any progress. You need to find someone to replace me, because I really can't continue on anymore."

To lift Liao's spirits, Wang Tianxiang would counter, "What do you mean you've made no progress? The notebooks piled almost a meter high in your office are progress. The thousands of problems that we've identified and fixed through our failures are progress. We can't give up on this now. Just hang in there." 

From these beginnings, when the rolling mill would not run because of damaged or broken rolls, the company, after more than 700 tests and countless reconfigurations and adjustments, finally achieved success. 

While many enterprises have struggled due to Covid-19, hand-tearable steel remains in high demand. From January to April this year, export orders were up nearly 70% compared to the same period last year. 

Innovation has made all the difference for the company. "Our only choice is to pursue a path of innovation and to develop high value-added products that no one else can match." This is how Liu Yudong, head of the company's production department, describes TISCO's development philosophy. 

To cater to new market demand, TISCO is now working to develop a line of steel precision strips for screens in high-end 5G electronics. This kind of flexible steel can be folded up to 200,000 times without losing its shape or breaking, making it a key material in the production of foldable phone screens. TISCO is also developing hand-tearable steel to replace the glass substrates in solar panels. This will allow for the production of flexible panels that can be rolled up like carpet. The technology will be applied in solar backpacks, solar cars, and other similar products.

Liu Yudong paints a fascinating picture of how this technology will alter our lives. "The breakthrough in flexible steel screen technology means that in the future, cellphone and TV screens will foldable. When we travel, the solar panels on our backpacks will be lighter and thinner, but capable of storing a lot more power. This innovation in materials will change our lives for the better."

Only reformers and innovators can advance and grow stronger, and ultimately achieve success. This perhaps is the deeper story that lies behind steel's shift from metric tons to grams. 

(Originally appeared in Qiushi Journal, Chinese edition, No. 16, 2020)