SSAB launches Armox® 500 AM Powder – world’s first protection powder

Armox® protection plate has been the market-leading armor steel for more than 40 years. Now, SSAB is the world’s first company to supply armor steel powder, with properties that match its armor plates. This unique powder has already engaged key customers.

“The demand for protection steel is growing globally and SSAB’s unique offerings give us a leadership position with customers in the defence industry. In addition, demand for high-performance metal powders for 3D printing is growing. We have developed our own high-strength steel powders optimized for additive manufacturing, based on many decades of experience in high-performance steel products. This enables advanced designs with low weight and high strength", says Per Elfgren, Head of SSAB Special Steels.

Forget plate limitations — think multi-dimensional design geometries

The protection performance of armor steel plates comes from absorbing and dissipating energy, whether it’s from projectiles or explosives. Components made from steel powder do the same and allow the use of geometry-driven designs for maximum protection at minimum weight. These parts would be difficult and often impossible to produce by machining and welding from plate.

Examples include solid parts like hinges or housings — like the camera turret below — to multilayered components with lattice or honeycomb structures inside. The latter results from designs optimized for additive manufacturing (DfAM), allowing for geometric freedom and organic shapes that provide enhanced protection at an extremely low weight.

Optimized protection in every detail

If an armored vehicle is taken out of action because a sensor or aerial mount is destroyed it can put people in great danger, even if 99% of the vehicle is intact. Adding customized protection through additive manufacturing and Armox® 500 AM Powder will protect vulnerable installations such as cameras, antenna mounts, sights, radar, hydraulic couplings, cables, and other components that need to be on the outside to enable product functionality without heat treatment.

Made in Sweden

SSAB’s powder production facility at its mill in Oxelösund, Sweden, produces several steel powder grades in addition to Armox® 500 AM Powder. This powder has been extensively tested to ensure it meets our strict requirements for flowability, particle shape, and particle size distribution. A number of components have also been printed and tested to confirm they provide the desired ballistic and blast resistance. Armox® 500 AM Powder is the first of its kind and will be followed by more grades in the future.

Starting in 2026, SSAB will expand its facility in Oxelösund, Sweden, enabling production at commercial scale. Production is planned to be gradually ramped up from the first quarter of 2028, with a capacity of approximately 350 tonnes per year.