The Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC) has developed a systematic solution that satisfies the need for higher resistance to surface abrasion and corrosion in stainless steel. Using low-temperature hardening technology, resistance to corrosion, abrasion, scratching, and peeling can overall be increased in SUS 300 series stainless steel, significantly increasing the life span and reducing the cost of the steel. Such steel may be used in a variety of industry applications, including clocks, 3C components, medical devices, and metal ornamentation on vessels.

Stainless steel finds frequent use in our daily lives. In natural environments, steel can form an oxide film on its surface. But stainless steel, compared with regular steel, is more resistant to oxidation and corrosion. Austenite stainless steel is commonly known by 300 series stainless steel, such as 304 or 316; it has superior machinability, but its relatively low hardness makes it vulnerable to abrasion, and therefore it becomes easier for corrosion to produce the scratches in the surface and harder to maintain the surface characteristics. Normalizing heat treatment can raise the hardness of austenite stainless steels, although as hardness increases, the resistance to corrosion decreases. Thus, raising the surface hardness of austenite stainless steel without lowering its corrosion resistance, while also allowing for mass production, has become a massive ordeal for the industry.

After three years of research and development, the MIRDC found that using acid gas to activate the surface of austenite stainless steel, followed by nitriding, carbonization or carbonitriding, could raise the hardness of the steel from Hv 200 to Hv 1200, while maintaining the same resistance to corrosion. Dr. Chiu-Feng Lin, President of the MIRDC, indicated that in the global market, manufacturers are flanked on one side by high-value products developed by advanced countries with advanced technology and flanked on the other side by a large number of low-end products dumped at low prices. The stainless steel surface hardening technology developed by the MIRDC helps to fill technical gaps. In the future, the Centre will move towards product development and process transfer and it will assist local manufacturers to increase product value and self-reliance and rank among the top in the world in quality assurance.