Puris, LLC has recently signed a limited (partially) exclusive, term license agreement with NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland to produce a high-performance alloy enhanced with hafnium 60NiTi(Hf) that will be marketed under the brand name SM-103TM.
SM-103 demonstrates a lower residual stress than other 60 nitinol alloys, resulting in improved response to heat treatment and easier processing. The alloy delivers both wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant properties, traditionally considered to be mutually exclusive, in addition to favorable load-bearing properties. These attributes make it well suited to industrial bearing and precision bearing applications.
“Puris anticipates strong demand for SM-103 for industrial bearings in such applications as wind turbines, turbochargers, aircraft engines, gears and valves,” Puris CEO Craig Kirsch said. “We also expect it to find a market in precision bearings for timepieces, machine spindles and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, among others. But the most exciting opportunity for us will be the new applications where the alloy’s properties offer to enhance performance and endurance.”
