This startup develops a heat treatment technology that imparts a directionally solidified grain structure to additively manufactured nickel-base alloys. This process enhances the performance of metal AM components for high-temperature applications, such as gas turbines and rocket engines.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Additively manufactured (AM) nickel-base superalloys often exhibit a fine, as-printed grain structure that limits their performance in high-temperature applications. This restricts the use of AM components in demanding environments such as gas turbines and rocket engines where high creep resistance is required.
Solution
Top Grain Technologies offers a heat treatment solution that transforms the microstructure of AM nickel-base superalloys into a coarse, directionally solidified grain structure. This process enhances the high-temperature performance of AM components, enabling their use in critical applications like combustion turbines and rocket engines. The technology unlocks the potential of advanced materials, including oxide dispersion-strengthened superalloys produced via additive manufacturing, providing creep resistance exceeding that of conventionally cast single-crystal components. The scalable, high-throughput process facilitates the adoption of AM in turbomachinery by improving component durability and efficiency.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes manufacturers of gas turbines, rocket engines, and other high-temperature equipment, as well as additive manufacturing service providers specializing in nickel-base superalloys.
Features
- Converts fine-grained AM microstructures into coarse columnar grains.
- Enhances creep resistance and high-temperature performance of AM nickel-base superalloys.
- Enables the use of AM components in demanding applications such as gas turbines and rocket engines.
- Unlocks the potential of novel AM materials, including oxide dispersion-strengthened (ODS) superalloys.
- Scalable, high-throughput heat treatment process.