Sulzer Metco, a well-known supplier of thermal spray materials and equipment, is pleased to announce state-of-the-art, pilot gas vacuum atomization capabilities for new alloy development and experimental purposes.

These new capabilities allow Sulzer Metco to produce experimental quantities of high quality, spherical metal and alloy powders for a variety of aerospace, IGT and specialized applications. Using vacuum melting and inert gas atomization techniques, ultra pure powders with oxygen content as low as 150 ppm and fine particle size distributions can be produced.

"This facility enhances our ability to better support our key customers in the area of new alloy development," says Dr. S. Rangaswamy, Sulzer Metco Product Line Manager and Head of Development, Metals and Alloys. "We can quickly and efficiently produce test lots of MCrAlY materials, braze filler metals and other alloys using either argon or nitrogen gas atomization."

These new capabilities should be of interest to many customers, including:

• Turbine engine manufacturers developing new, higher temperature materials
• Suppliers of materials and components to the dental and medical markets, who require small lot sizes of precious metal materials
• Materials research and development facilities working on new and proprietary material chemistries
• Customers who require materials with low oxygen content, such as those needed for Cold Gas Spray applications
• Unique chemistries for powder metallurgy applications

In addition to the atomization capability, Sulzer Metco is able to screen and package these materials under protective atmospheres to insure contaminate-free products.