Take a Walk on the Wild Side... With Exotic Alloys

Some days, we like to get a little wild in the forge shop; at least we do with our exotic alloys. But what exactly are exotic alloys? Today we’ll discuss 3 popular exotic alloys that we forge at Anderson Shumaker.

What Are Exotic Alloys?

Exotic alloys (also called super alloys) contain a very high alloy content. Exotic alloys offer enhanced performance properties such as high durability and strength. They’re also excellent at resisting deforming, oxidation, and corrosion under extreme pressures and very high temperatures. Due to their unique material composition, they can difficult to heat and shape. That’s why it takes experts like the forge masters at Anderson Shumaker to successfully work with these challenging metals.

When forging for extreme environments, it’s critical to use materials that can withstand severe operating conditions. Extreme environments require qualities materials that have qualities such as expansion predictability, stress cracking resistance, high strength, corrosion resistance, and the ability to withstand maximum temperatures. Industries that rely on exotic alloys forgings include aerospace, power generation, defense, and cryogenics. Three of our most popular exotic alloys are:

Waspaloy

Waspaloy is an age-hardening, nickel-based superalloy. It can be heated to 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. Because it performs well under high temperatures and extreme conditions, Waspaloy is a popular material for forged seals, shafts, rings, and turbine disks. It’s particularly well-suited gas turbine engine use.

Waspaloy has excellent corrosion resistance, and it’s notoriously difficult to weld. Waspaloys can be expensive due to the high heat and skill necessary to forge it, but luckily, Anderson Shumaker has forging Waspaloy down to a science. While we don’t stock this exotic alloy in-house, we can source it from several suppliers when requested.

Inconel

An Inconel is an austenitic metal in the nickel/chromium superalloy family. This material maintains extreme structural integrity under high temperatures, and it has excellent oxidation resistance. Inconels are popular for end-uses subject to stress-corrosion cracking and caustic corrosion. Therefore, it’s a great choice for applications in aerospace (particularly jet engine parts), chemical processing, gas turbines, and food processing equipment.

Anderson Shumaker stocks the following Inconel grades for fast forging:

600
625
718
X750
800
825
901
903

Hastelloy

This metal is hot! Hastelloy is a nickel/chromium/iron/molybdenum alloy that has incredible corrosion resistance. It can be exposed to temperatures up to 1600 degrees Fahrenheit for 16,000 hours and offers excellent ductility and easy fabrication. This material is forged at between 1550 – 2225 degrees Fahrenheit, making it the hottest exotic alloy on our list.

Due to this extreme temperate allowance, Hastelloy is used in industrial furnaces and by the chemical industry. Like Waspaloy and Inconel, it’s also a popular material for gas turbine engines. Specifically, it’s used in combustion zone products such as flame holders, combustor cans, transition ducts, and spray bars.

Anderson Shumaker stocks the following Inconel grades for fast forging:

Hastelloy C276
Hastelloy X

Have a question about exotic alloys? Contact one of our sales staff today at [email protected] or request a quote to get your project rolling!