A long-term Test and Analysis Specialist at Borçelik shares their use of electron and optical microscopy on steel products
Ömer Yıldırım, Test and Analysis Specialist at Borçelik, Turkey, with their ZEISS Sigma FE-SEM
Through a joint venture with ArcelorMittal and Borusan, Borçelik is one of the largest galvanized steel producers of Turkey, offering the highest quality steel for the Automotive, Home Appliances, Construction and General Metal Industries.
Ömer Yıldırım is a seasoned Test and Analysis Specialist at Borçelik. For twenty-three years, he has worked with Borçelik in flat steel production processes and stages as well as defect analysis using both electron and optical microscopy daily in his work.
Working with Steel
I work on surface and cross-sectional analyses of hot rolled flat steel, cold rolled flat steel and coated flat steel, such as galvanized, enameled, painted, etc.
In addition to these, my studies also include internal structural analysis of steel materials, inclusion characterization, and surface and cross-sectional analyses on corrosion.
I investigate the reasons behind corrosion formation, identification of root causes behind defects and problems in flat steel processes.
I also perform studies on new products in terms of R&D and innovation.
Image 1: ZnO under polymer coating after salt fog test imaged with FE-SEM. Image 2: Low carbon flat steel grain structure after etching with 4% Nital imaged with optical microscopy. Image 3: SiO layer fracture surface imaged with FE-SEM.
Using electron and optical microscopy for steel production
I spend 70% of my work day using the ZEISS Sigma 300 field emission scanning electron microscope and the ZEISS Axio Imager 2 optical microscope for various analyses. Microscopy is critical to obtain highly valuable data on micro analyses as well as macro analyses in order to:
- Support all R&D and innovation studies
- Identify raw material quality problems and determining the root cause of these problems
- Respond to customer complaints by examining their process parameters to help them troubleshoot problems
We are able to avoid significant financial losses through product controls by identifying raw material problems and making use of the findings discovered during customer complaints.
It is critical that we obtain high quality images in large magnifications for our applications including cross-sectional analyses of micron thick coatings, identification of the chemical composition in coatings, and detailed surface and cross-sectional analyses.
As the biggest galvanized steel producer with some of the highest quality available in Turkey, Borçelik’s goals include digital transformation, innovation, R&D and operational excellence. In order to achieve these targets, we are extremely careful in our selection of the products and tools we use.
ZEISS microscopy technology has integrated efficiently and effectively into our business processes.
