Superalloys, stainless steels and tool steels are often referred to as ‘specialty’ alloys which relates to their highly specific metallurgical processing required to achieve the highest levels of cleanliness. This is due to their applications under harsh conditions, and as safety-critical components.

Specialty alloy processing may include casting and remelting in vacuum plants or powder metallurgical routes, followed by thermo-mechanical processing including forming and annealing. However, processing of specialty alloys required for future aerospace, oil & gas and tooling applications is challenging due to the narrow formability range, susceptibility to segregation, cracking, and inhomogeneous microstructures of these high-performance materials.

We tackle these challenges by systematic studies of processing-structure-property relationships using lab processing simulations in combination with multi-scale correlative microscopy, mechanical testing and modelling. We are experts in up-scaling of our findings to real-world processing plants. This advances processing of current alloys and, more strategically, enables targeted alloy design to unlock superior processability and properties for future products.

In addition to specialty alloys, Sophie has a strong track record in refractory metals and automotive steels processing.