Salzgitter invests in the defence sector

The steel company Salzgitter is investing more than two million euros in a new waterjet cutting system for heavy plate. According to the company, the technology is relevant for meeting the stringent market demands in the field of safety steels.

Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH is investing just over two million euros in a new waterjet cutting system at its Ilsenburg location. This investment is intended to contribute in particular to the expanding future segment of defense. The Salzgitter AG subsidiary will be deploying this technology to meet the high demands of its customers in the field of safety steels in particular.
The new water jet cutting system (300m2) is being built together with the water treatment facility and an extension in the cutting area of the plant. The system is relevant for the production of sensitive steel grades, where thermal influences can occur at the cutting edges during flame cutting in oxyfuel or plasma cutting processes. In the cold cutting process, the cutting jet consisting of water, garnet sand and air ensures lower material losses for high-strength grades in a wide range of thicknesses, while guaranteeing the high quality that customers expect in the field of SECURE safety steels.
Featuring a cutting table around 18 meters long as well as a maximum cutting width of over 5 meters, the Ilsenburg system ranks as one of the largest waterjet cutting systems that H.G. Ridder Automatisierungs-GmbH from Hamm (North Rhine-Westphalia) has manufactured in Europe to date. In contrast to conventional flame cutting with natural gas, the waterjet cutting system is operated with electricity, meaning that it can achieve CO2-neutral status thanks to the use of renewable energies. The water treatment facility impresses with innovative pump technology ensuring the circular and therefore sustainable use of water. The project is now scheduled for completion at the end of the second quarter of 2026.
As Robert Kühn, Chairman of the Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH Management Board, commented: "By investing in the new waterjet cutting system, we are strengthening the Ilsenburg site over the long term and future-proofing it, especially for the market demands and requirements in the growing defense segment. This modern technology enables us to expand our processing options and meet our customers’ exceptionally high-quality demands. At the same time, as a Salzgitter AG subsidiary, we are taking a further step towards reducing the carbon footprint of our products by investing in the waterjet cutting system, thereby driving the Group's green transformation forward."
Source: Salzgitter AG