The cycle of stainless steel

The perfect photo often requires long preparation, although a random moment is sometimes all it takes to attract the photographer and inspire him or her to release the shutter. Continue reading

This was the case with the picture entitled Fire and Flame, which Thomas Weber captured spontaneously during one of his forays through the Kuhn Special Steel works site.

L01_Juni_OriginalfotoAs head of the company’s Materials Management Department, Thomas Weber discovered the subject-matter for the “June” page of the Kuhn wall calendar right on his own doorstep. The image of the plasma cutting machine in action shows one of his colleagues splitting large pieces of waste material for subsequent melting-down. The employee in charge monitors the cutting process with maximum concentration from behind a pair of safety goggles designed to protect his eyes from the bright light emitted by the plasma arc cutter that lies at the heart of the system.

The image shows a typical working process in the area of materials management. The eight-strong team concerned is responsible for the procurement and processing of the alloys and scrap material subsequently used in the foundry. This includes a procedure known as “blending”, which involves determining the exact composition of the melt. This task requires maximum care and precision, as the correct mixing ratio of the raw ingredients is essential for determining the quality of the material produced.

The management of recycled materials also forms part of the process. These include items such as swarf and offcuts, which can be recycled back into production. This likewise involves utmost care, as the items being fed back into the process must be strictly sorted and free of impurities in order to maintain the high quality standards of the materials produced. This is not just a matter of sustainability and environmental protection however; it is also part of keeping, in the truest sense, Kuhn Special Steel’s promise to its customers, whereby the recovery of raw materials is offset against production costs to make the overall manufacturing process less costly.

L01_Juni_GemaeldeThe Kuhn calendar initiative, a creative project carried out jointly with the painter Cindy Kuhn-Chuang and employees of Kuhn Special Steel, aims to capture photographic impressions of our working environment.

A snapshot of the photographer

Name:
Thomas Weber

Since when have you been working for the company?
since 1994

What do you do there?
I’m Head of Materials Management and Site Safety Officer.

How and when did you take up photography as a hobby?
It all started in the camera club at my old school, back in 1984.

What kind of camera do you use?
A Canon EOS 5D.

What are your favourite subjects?
Landscapes, motor sport and high-speed shots.

Photos: lessingtiede

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