STK0423 – Stainless Steel Selection and Design

Description

2 Sessions:

• 20 Nov, 2025, 07:00 UTC. (08:00 CEST)

• 20 Nov, 2025, 14:00 UTC. (15:00 CEST)

Estimated Time: 1 hr

Language: English

Summary of the lecture

Stainless steels are an integral part of modern life — from kitchen utensils and public transport fittings to critical infrastructure and space applications. Far from being a single material, stainless steels form a family of more than 200 alloys, each engineered to provide a balance of strength, durability, corrosion resistance, and aesthetic appeal.

With an exceptional recycling rate of 96%, stainless steels exemplify circularity and sustainability in material design. Their combination of hygiene, performance, and longevity makes them indispensable for industries aiming to enhance safety, reduce environmental impact, and support sustainable growth.

In this steelTalk, Tim Collins, Secretary-General of worldstainless, will discuss how to approach stainless steel selection and design effectively. Participants will gain insights into the families of stainless steels, their diverse applications, and how thoughtful material choice contributes to sustainable design and human protection in a modern, economic context.

At the end of this steeltalk, participants will be able to:

Understand the different families of stainless steels.
Learn how to select the correct grade for specific applications.
Discover how stainless steels perform across diverse environments.
Explore their efficiency and cost-effectiveness as engineering materials.
Recognise their role in health, safety, and sustainability.

Speaker Introduction

Tim Collins
Secretary-General
worldstainless

Tim was born and grew up in the home of UK stainless steelmaking, Sheffield. Whilst at school he worked part-time for his father making steelworks thermocouples and laboratory furnaces.

After leaving school he studied metallurgy at university and joined British Steel Stainless immediately after graduating. A succession of industry mergers saw Tim undertaking senior stainless technical, operations and supply chain roles in the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK before joining the ISSF (now worldstainless) in August 2019. During his career Tim also found time to study Goldratt’s teaching on lean flow and operations, gain a postgraduate diploma in operations and inventory management and a masters degree in business administration.

Away from work Tim still supports his boyhood football club, Sheffield Wednesday and enjoys rock music, cycling, fine wines and craft ales.