QuesTek Innovations has launched a partnership with CBMM, a leading producer of niobium.
Through the partnership, QuesTek will explore material compositions leveraging niobium to achieve high strength and heat resistance in novel alloys suitable for additive manufacturing (AM). Using its ICMD materials design and engineering platform, QuesTek can explore the addition of niobium to a wide array of alloys as well as how current niobium alloys can be optimized.
"In the world of high-temperature metal alloys, right now niobium is one of the most promising candidates," said Jason Sebastian, QuesTek Executive Vice President of Market Operations. "When it comes to turbines, rocket engines and hypersonic materials, the hotter they can run the more fuel efficient they become. This partnership between CBMM and QuesTek is positioned to enable new levels of performance through niobium-containing novel materials."
Partnership with CBMM is a natural next step for QuesTek to leverage their experience with designing niobium alloys under the ARPA-E "ULTIMATE" program. In this program, QuesTek is applying computational materials design to (AM), coating technology and turbine design/manufacturing to develop a comprehensive solution for a next-generation turbine blade alloy and coating system capable of sustained operation at 1,300 °C. As a part of this program, QuesTek has developed and matured several physics-based material property models and has develop kinetic and thermodynamic databases for niobium alloy systems exclusive to QuesTek.
QuesTek's digital capabilities using ICMD reduces the amount of physical experimentation needed to design, develop and deploy novel materials. While the partnership with CBMM is focused exclusively on niobium alloys, ICMD is capable of optimizing countless other materials and applications.
"Nickel-based superalloys could be reaching their full potential of optimization," said Rafael Mesquita, CBMM's Technology Director. "QuesTek is at the forefront of the digital transformation of materials engineering, and this partnership creates the opportunity to achieve more of the vast potential of niobium for heat resistance and other properties. ICMD and QuesTek's expertise in physics-based modeling are perfectly suited to unlock enormous unrealized value in niobium through new applications worldwide."
For more information contact:
QuesTek Innovations LLC
1820 Ridge Ave.
Evanston, IL 60201
847-328-5800
www.questek.com
CBMM North America, Inc.
5251 Westheimer, Ste. 340
Houston, TX 77056
412-221-7008
www.cbmm.com/en