Let’s talk about Stellite™!

In 1906, Elwood Haynes revealed the amazing properties of cobalt alloys and started a series of inventions and investigations based on them. In 1907 he was granted a patent in Kokomo, Indiana/USA, for cobalt-based alloys. He named his discovery Stellite™ stemmed from the Latin word “Stella”, which means “star” because of their similar shiny metallic appearance. 4 years later he signed a licensing agreement with Deloro Smelting and Refining Company of Deloro Ontario.

Contrary to popular belief, Stellite is neither only a single alloy nor a Satellite in the context of spaceflight. Stellite™ is a whole group of wear-resistant materials based mainly on Cobalt and Chromium.

Over the years Stellite™ became from a trademark to a synonym for the wear-, heat- & corrosion resistant materials and enriched  the technical literature. Thus, do not wonder when you often hear professionals say “stellitizing” of a part when they talk about hardfacing. Now and after 115 years, the Stellite™ materials comprise about 30 standard alloys (excluding the modified versions), which are widely used in a variety of industries owing to their unique properties. Stellite™ could even maintain the magnificent resistance against wear and corrosion at elevated temperatures, where many other materials may fail.

Do you know, how present Stellite™ is in your daily life?  In the morning when you get up and switch on the light, the power most likely comes from a turbine that is regulated with a valve cladded with Stellite™. Your clothes and shoes might have been delivered by a truck whose EGR-System and Turbocharger are made with Tribaloy ™ or Stellite™. And for lunch, when you enjoy delicious pasta with Tomato sauce, the tomatos might have been homogenized by a valve out of Stellite™ and been preserved inside a can sealed with a Stellite enforced tool. The Noodles were extruded into shape through a Stellite™ -die. Maybe you chew those with a substituted tooth sitting in a denture, milled from a Stellite™ disc…or afterwords walk the dog relying on your Stellite™ hip replacement. These are just some of numerous ways, Stellite™ touches and enforces the things you love!

This micrograph indicates the microstructure of cast Stellite™ 6 (one of the most famous Stellites™); the light phase is the solid-solution matrix which ensures corrosion resistance, and the dark phase are the carbides which add the superb wear resistance to the Stellites™.

Are you familiar with Stellite™? Get in touch with us to find out how Stellite™ can help you make the most out of your challenges!

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