Metalysis achieves commercial specification of C-103 alloy

• Huge growth from space, hypersonic and aerospace applications has seen spike in demand for C-103 (niobium hafnium titanium) alloy
• Long lead-times and inconsistent supply driving Western production diversification whilst rising cost due to global shortage of hafnium metal has further driven end-application manufacturers to seek new sources
• UK-based Metalysis via its FFC electrolysis process reduces oxides rather than co-melting the constituent metals offering a more efficient and production process - and supply chain security
• Recent advances in additive manufacturing has accelerated the need for C-103 powder

Metalysis, the end-to-end manufacturer of solid-state metal and alloy powders, and global leader in materials science, today announces it has produced C-103 alloy powder (niobium hafnium titanium) to commercial specification to meet the demands of Western space, aerospace, defence and hypersonic applications all of whom are urgently seeking alternative, secure and consistent supply of this high-performance refractory alloy for use in within their high temperature and extreme environment applications.

The current C-103 market is currently estimated at $46m, reaching $200m by 2032, at a CAGR of approximately 32%. Today this represents roughly 2% against the backdrop of the wider niobium alloy market.

• Rocket engines: nozzles, thrust and combustion chambers
• Hypersonics: engine components, thermal protection units, leading edges and control surfaces
• Aerospace: turbine engines and high-temperature turbine vanes and blades.
• Satellite propulsion components.

C-103 alloy is one of the most widely used niobium alloys. Niobium's melting point of 2477 degrees Celsius, excellent corrosion resistance and high strength to weight ratio ensures it is a metal of choice for critical sectors.

C-103 faces supply chain vulnerability primarily because of shortages in Hafnium metal (as opposed to hafnium oxide) production, as competing demand from other hafnium compounds has increased, driven by the rapid expansion of semiconductor chip manufacturing.

Demand is also set to increase also following recent advances in additive manufacturing (AM). The ability to manufacture complex C-103 structures and geometries with minimal material waste addresses one of the historical manufacturing challenges pertaining to C-103, reducing costs and lead times.

Metalysis' FFC electrolysis process reduces metal oxides via in-situ alloying within the solid-state process and across Gens 1 - 4: so is capable of producing grammes per run of output through to tens of tonnes per annum, dependent upon the size of the reactor. Metalysis is now able to produce C-103 at up to Gen 4 outputs - capable of producing tens of tonnes of output per unit.

The process is 'powder in- powder out', where controlling the size of the feedstock produces powders in a defined size range, so meeting the growing demands of additive manufacturing customers.

Powder particles are naturally irregular in shape but can be spheroidised in-house by Metalysis, so improving density and flowability, whilst retaining the original size span. Oxygen levels in Metalysis' C-103 powder are below 500ppm. A full material specification available upon request.

Metalysis' Hafnium oxide is sourced from a variety of nations including the US and Australia.

Nitesh Shah, CEO:

"Metalysis is adding C-103 niobium hafnium titanium alloy to its product suite given our core focus on refractory alloys - combined with lightweighting expertise. C-103 was developed in the 1960s but now we are seeing a huge surge in demand because of the renewed race for space - as well as advanced manufacturing sectors such as hypersonics / defence. The Metalysis FFC process is able to produce C-103 alloy to the morphology required by AM partners - whilst reducing metal oxides rather than metal means we are not constrained by the availability of hafnium metal. Our engagement with customers in this sector has already been highly encouraging."

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Brunel Way, Catcliffe, Rotherham S60 5WG, UK

Metalysis is a global leader in producing metal powders, alloy powders and high entropy powders for use in advanced electronics including semiconductors and capacitors, defence, space, hypersonics, engineering and construction, aerospace, clean energy, electric vehicles, AI, 5G and the IoTs. Deploying our patented FFC solid-state electrolysis process we can reduce metal oxides from 49 elements of the periodic table creating valuable metal, metal alloy and high entropy alloy powders. Key products include capacitor grade tantalum powders, aluminium scandium alloy (36 wt % / 25 atomic % scandium loading), commercial outputs of lightweight refractory high entropy alloys whilst Metalysis is leading a consortia funded by the European Space Agency to provide sustainable production of titanium.

Since 2019, Metalysis has emerged as the global leader in space exploration, having partnered with the European Space Agency and the UK's space agency to extract oxygen from lunar regolith. Metalysis was approached because the electrolysis process liberates oxygen from metal oxides. Employing an oxygen-evolving anode versus the conventional carbon, means that oxygen is the released gas - which can be captured, and when utilised in-situ on the lunar surface, can provide oxygen for propulsion and life support. The European Space Agency is developing the Metalysis FFC Cambridge process at Gen 1 scale - whilst Metalysis is in conversations with commercial partners to accelerate the deployment of a Gen 2 on the lunar surface.

Metalysis is a key-midstream asset for the UK and Her allies - providing domestic oxide reduction capabilities within the UK meaning critical materials and rare earth elements are not exposed to supply chain risks.

This release was published on openPR.