In the frame of Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF) program,  Dr. Hossam Ahmed Halfa was awarded grant for applied research projects, for one year. The project entitled "Innovative Low-Nickel Cobalt Free Stainless Steel Instead of the Costly Conventional High-Nickel High-Cobalt Maraging Steel". This project aims at innovation of cobalt free low-nickel Maraging instead of costly conventional Maraging steel and fabrication of simple aerospace components to encourage the partial replacement of imported articles by local ones.Over the past 40 years a generic class of ultra- high strength Maraging steels has been development mainly for aircraft, aerospace and tooling applications – the ultra – high strength of the most expensive Maraging steels is due to the precipitation of intermetallic compounds (cobalt, high nickel molybdenum) during ageing process such as Ni3Mo, FeMo and Fe7Mo6.

Due to the sharp increase in the cobalt price the development of a family of cobalt free Maraging steel is promoted. Titanium is used as one of the primary strengthening element replacing cobalt in steels. Furthermore, to overcome the problem of retained austenite, it is supposed that nickel content can be reduced to 12%. Maraging steels are usually produced using double vacuum melting technique. Due to the high cost of the double vacuum technique, electroslag remelting technique (ESR) can be successfully used to remelt the Maraging steel and in turn improve its mechanical strength and ductility by selecting the suitable fluxes. Unfortunately, all local needs from this steels are imported regardless its form, size, composition and the ability to produce it locally. Innovation of new cobalt free – low nickel Maraging steels will provide the desired solution for many targets of beneficiaries through:

• Reducing production cost of Maraging steels. 

• Increasing the competitive of Egyptian industry by improving the quality of the product and lowering the manufacturing cost.
• 
Introduction of new local product in the market. 

• Encouraging the Egyptian scientists to think and work positively in the advanced technology field.