AMG ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF NITRIDING TECHNOLOGY FOR ADVANCED WEAR RESISTANCE APPLICATIONS
Amsterdam, 12 April 2013 --- AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group N.V.'s ("AMG",
EURONEXT AMSTERDAM: "AMG") AMG Engineering unit, ALD Vacuum Technologies GmbH
("ALD") announces that it has acquired a patented wear and corrosion resistance
nitriding technology that utilizes an active screen plasma nitriding process
("ASPN"). Â This revolutionary technology will enable ALD to expand its services
to new aerospace and energy applications and the medical market.
The ASPN technology modifies a component's surface by adding nitrogen, using
plasma technologies, to create a specific nitride layer. Â This modification
improves the mechanical strength, corrosion resistance, and electrical
conductivity of materials such as niobium alloys for fuel cells and carbon
nanoparticles.
ALD and others currently provide alternative nitriding technologies; however,
none of those technologies is capable of treating the surface of biomaterials
due to the inherent limitations (e.g. temperature uniformity, and temperature
level - which is essential to maintaining materials' properties) associated with
those technologies. Â The ASPN technology enables the nitriding process to occur
in low temperatures and for non-conductive materials, which is not possible with
any other technology commercially available today.
The ability to apply the ASPN technology at low temperatures is the key element
that significantly broadens the market for this surface treatment. Â The ASPN
process can be used for the surface treatment of biomaterials such as austenitic
stainless steels and titanium alloys and polycaprolactone components for medical
implantable devices. Â This technology enables ALD to access markets valued in
excess of $500 million with growth rates above 10%.
About AMG
AMG creates and applies innovative metallurgical solutions to the global trend
of sustainable development of natural resources and CO(2) reduction. Â AMG
produces highly engineered specialty metal products and advanced vacuum furnace
systems for the Energy, Aerospace, Infrastructure and Specialty Metals and
Chemicals end markets. Â AMG consists of three segments, AMG Processing, AMG
Engineering and AMG Mining.
AMG Processing develops and produces specialty metals, alloys and high
performance materials. AMG is a significant producer of specialty metals, such
as ferrovanadium, ferronickel-molybdenum, aluminum master alloys and additives,
chromium metal and ferrotitanium, for Energy, Aerospace, Infrastructure and
Specialty Metal and Chemicals applications. Â Other key products include
specialty alloys for titanium and superalloys, coating materials and vanadium
chemicals.
AMG Engineering designs, engineers and produces advanced vacuum furnace systems
and operates vacuum heat treatment facilities, primarily for the Aerospace and
Energy (including solar and nuclear) industries. Â Furnace systems produced by
AMG include vacuum remelting, solar silicon melting and crystallization, vacuum
induction melting, vacuum heat treatment and high pressure gas quenching,
turbine blade coating and sintering. Â AMG also provides vacuum case-hardening
heat treatment services on a tolling basis.
AMG Mining produces critical materials utilizing its secure raw material sources
in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. Â AMG Mining produces critical
materials such as high purity natural graphite, tantalum, antimony and silicon
metal. Â These materials are of significant importance to the global economy and
are available in limited supply. Â End markets for these materials include
electronics, energy efficiency, green energy and infrastructure.
With over 3,000 employees, AMG operates globally with production facilities in
Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Czech Republic, United States, China,
Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, Poland, India and Sri Lanka and has sales and customer
service offices in Belgium, Russia and Japan (www.amg-nv.com).
For further information, please contact:
AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group N.V.    +1 610 975 4901
Jonathan Costello
Vice President of Corporate Development and Corporate Communications
jcostello@amg-nv.com
Disclaimer
Certain statements in this press release are not historical facts and are
"forward looking." Â Forward looking statements include statements concerning
AMG's plans, expectations, projections, objectives, targets, goals, strategies,
future events, future revenues or performance, capital expenditures, financing
needs, plans and intentions relating to acquisitions, AMG's competitive
strengths and weaknesses, plans or goals relating to forecasted production,
reserves, financial position and future operations and development, AMG's
business strategy and the trends AMG anticipates in the industries and the
political and legal environment in which it operates and other information that
is not historical information. Â When used in this press release, the words
"expects," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "may," "will," "should," and
similar expressions, and the negatives thereof, are intended to identify forward
looking statements. Â By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve
inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks exist
that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking
statements will not be achieved. Â These forward-looking statements speak only as
of the date of this press release. Â AMG expressly disclaims any obligation or
undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking
statement contained herein to reflect any change in AMG's expectations with
regard thereto or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which
any forward-looking statement is based.
April 12 2013:
http://hugin.info/138060/R/1692633/556131.pdf
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Source: AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group N.V. via Thomson Reuters ONE
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