A layered approach: General Industry Coverage

Metal performance characteristics—such as strength, stiffness and corrosion resistance—have traditionally been controlled by either varying the alloy chemistry via what’s added to the melt or by altering its microstructure through some type of post-production treatment or mechanical means. Modumetal Inc. has added a third control “dial” to this list with its electrochemical nanolamination process, an advanced form of electroplating, which creates architected interfaces in the metal, according to CEO Christina Lomasney.

“The same basic raw materials that are used in metals manufacturing today we can architect in a very different way and produce materials that outperform what we thought was the limit with those types of alloys,” she said.

“We’re producing layered alloys,” she added. “The laminated alloys are kind of like plywood, but, in our case, the plies are on the nanometer scale.”

Modumetal produces completed components from its nanolaminated materials, such as this gate valve. Image courtesy Modumetal.

The layer thickness ranges from a single nanometer to hundreds of nanometers and even up into the micron level. To create the layered structure, the company reports that is uses a bath containing more than one kind of metal ion and controls how ions are deposited by varying the electrical current at precise moments. According to Lomasney, predictably depositing an alloy composition requires a high level of process control, “as well as an intimate understanding and control of the electrochemical species in the solution.”

The company’s primary focus is on enhancing the wear and corrosion characteristics of metals for oil and gas applications, which are often exposed to chemicals that quickly damage production equipment, as well as other industries that are on a quest for enhanced part performance—but not at any cost, Lomasney said. “The cost-benefit is core to the mission of the company. We are cost neutral and, in some cases, a less-expensive alternative and yet we are able to extend this performance envelope quite significantly.”