Abstract: A process and apparatus for the production of materials such as steel, in which the different components are "interwoven" in such a manner that solid state materials are fed into a matrix, which is still in a liquid state for casting and that the mix, respectively, the conglomerate, formed in this manner, is made to freeze or stabilize and, afterwards, the cast structure is processed by conversion and/or heat treatment. In this manner, it is possible to, for example, store particularly hard, i.e., extremely hard ingredients as those used, for example, in the hardest armoured steel, in the form of particles, that is solid bodies in a softer, tougher matrix. In this manner, on the one hand, the welding ability of the composite can be substantially improved and, on the other hand, it is possible to exclude the otherwise common cracking sensitivity of particularly hard special steels because the softer, tougher matrix prevents the expansion of the crack in the structure.