Tailor-made alloys and highly reactive metals: Neue Materialien Bayreuth expands its plant technology for the development of new materials and processes

The availability of suitable raw materials is a prerequisite for conducting material- and process-related research. Although standard alloys are commercially available, this does not apply to highly reactive materials, such as titanium alloys, nor to alloys tailored to specific applications, including low-density steels and aluminium-based materials. Consequently, these raw materials must be produced specifically.

For this purpose, the new high vacuum casting system of NMB enables the production of corresponding semi-finished products in the form of bars, blocks, or cylinders. These can subsequently serve as feedstock for processability studies, for example in additive manufacturing or coating applications, following their conversion into metal powder or wire.

The high vacuum casting system offers ideal conditions for the development of new materials and processes. It operates with a two-chamber mode, in which the melting and forming chambers could be operated at different pressure levels. This allows for targeted control of the melt during the filling of the mould and the subsequent solidification. As a result, the system offers a high degree of flexibility in processing a wide range of materials, since the solidification conditions can be precisely tailored to the requirements of the respective alloy.

The high vacuum casting process enables casting under high vacuum down to a pressure level of 10⁻⁵ mbar and at a maximum temperature of 2,100 °C, thereby preventing unwanted reactions between the melt and the surrounding air. This is especially critical for highly reactive metals, such as titanium alloys, since the low partial pressures of oxygen and nitrogen prevent oxidation and nitridation at high temperatures. In addition, efficient degassing during the high‑vacuum casting process results in pore‑free semi‑finished products with high purity, which are characterized by excellent material quality.

The new system provides NMB with improved starting conditions for the development of novel alloys, especially those based on highly reactive materials.