Aubert & Duval and Alloyed unveil new high-temperature Ni superalloy ABD-1000AM
June 27, 2024
Aubert & Duval, a subsidiary of the High Performance Alloys Division of the Eramet Group based in Paris, France, and Alloyed Ltd, based in Oxford, UK, have announced the release of Alloyed’s nickel superalloy ABD-1000AM. This is the latest in its range of alloys developed specifically for the Additive Manufacturing process.
Designed using Alloyed’s computational Alloys-by-Design platform, the alloy provides excellent environmental resistance and high-temperature strength, with a working temperature range beyond 1,000°C (1,832°F) in its age-hardened state. Compared to cast alloy Ni247LC, the alloy is said to offer near-equivalent stress rupture life while allowing crack-free Additive Manufacturing and heat treatment, enabling complex part design for components within the aerospace, power, automotive, defence and space industries.
The agreement between Alloyed and Aubert & Duval expands upon the successful partnership already in place covering ABD-900AM, a readily processable ultra-high temperature nickel alloy. Under the terms of the agreement, Aubert & Duval will be Alloyed’s production partner for ABD-1000AM, supplying Alloyed with the powder feedstock that it is using to manufacture components.
“We are very pleased to extend our metallic powder activities with our long-term partner Alloyed through this new agreement for ABD-1000AM; for Aubert & Duval, the ABD alloys demonstrate the potential that can be realised by designing materials for the AM process, so adding a best-in-class alloy such as ABD-1000AM as part of our powder range portfolio is an exciting next step,” said Jean-François Juéry, EVP Business development & Strategy of Aubert & Duval. “We are convinced that Additive Manufacturing technology combined with high-temperature powder alloys is a promising solution in particular to achieve carbon footprint reduction in various industries: over the last five years, we have indeed seen huge growth in interest and orders for these innovative alloys across all industrial sectors, so we are excited to see what new products and performance gains will be enabled by the commercial availability of ABD-1000AM.”
The AM industry has long sought to be able to manufacture parts in alumina-forming alloys such as Ni247LC and Ni713, though the susceptibility of these alloys to cracking has significantly limited the maturity that’s been reached, resulting in very few applications that can make use of them. Designed to be free of solidification, liquidation, and strain-age cracks, ABD-1000AM is said to showcase exceptional processability for such a high-performance alloy. The typical microstructure is characterised by a relative density above 99.9% and low defect levels, consisting of 55% gamma prime phase fraction in the age-hardenable state, a characteristic that attributed to its development on Alloyed’s ABD platform, enabling the alloy to be specifically designed for the characteristics of the AM process.
Michael Holmes, CEO of Alloyed, commented, “Extending our portfolio of alloys through the introduction of ABD-1000AM is a really exciting next step for Alloyed, greatly expanding our capability to deliver AM parts that can operate in some of the most extreme environments, and we’re thrilled to be doing it with Aubert & Duval as our trusted partner – their experience and track record of producing exceptional nickel powders is world-class.
“The alloy itself is set to bring great developments to the world of metal AM, unlocking applications that were previously deemed unfeasible due to the limited materials suited for the process, so we’re excited to start manufacturing parts and developing applications with our customers,” Holmes continued.
Aubert & Duval and Alloyed are exhibiting at RAPID + TCT in Los Angeles from June 25th – 27th at stand 827.
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