CONCORD, Mass., Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Starmet Commercial Castings, a
wholly owned subsidiary of Starmet Corporation (Nasdaq: STMT) announced today
its recent delivery of the 3,000th Beralcast(R) precision investment casting
to a leading manufacturer of production assembly equipment. The event is
significant since it represents the single largest production application of
Starmet's patented Beralcast(R) metal matrix composite (MMC) to date, reports
company president, Kevin Raftery. This customer purchased prototype
components using Starmet's alloys more than three years ago for potential use
in its line of equipment. Starmet's Beralcast(R) MMC alloy was chosen since
it was 22% lighter, 300% stiffer and 6-10 times more effective in vibrational
dampening than traditional aluminum casting alloys. Starmet has demonstrated
production capabilities by delivering 3,000 individual castings over the past
six months.
This customer and other equipment manufacturers are now evaluating the
further incorporation of our Beralcast(R) MMC into their equipment to achieve
higher performance and production rates. Over the past seven years, the
company has produced and delivered over four hundred different casting
configurations to approximately 30 military and 10 commercial customers
supporting their prototype and pre-production development programs.
Beralcast(R), a precision cast beryllium aluminum MMC material, was
originally developed for space and defense applications. In 1994, Lockheed
Martin and the US Army selected Beralcast(R) for use on the RAH-66 Comanche
Helicopter. Over the past three years, Starmet introduced the material into
other high volume commercial applications including hard disc drives where
weight, stiffness and vibrational dampening are critical to performance.
Disc drive customers utilize Beralcast(R) as an advanced actuator material
permitting higher data seek rates, increased Tracks Per Inch (TPI)
capabilities and the possibility of decreasing the number of disc platters
while maintaining or increasing storage capacities.
Starmet Commercial Castings, is a manufacturer of advanced composite
materials supporting electronic, data storage, sport and motion control
applications utilizing precision casting and extrusion technologies.
Special Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements:
Statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact are
"forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements include statements
concerning the relative economic benefits of this technology, competing
processes, and intended market applications.
Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and
involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and, accordingly, actual results
could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking
statements. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not
limited to: the acceptance of the Company's products and services and the
presence of competitors with greater technical, marketing and financial
resources.
SOURCE Starmet Commercial Castings
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Related links:
http://www.starmet.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/632850.html or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 632850
CONTACT:
Kevin R. Raftery, President of Starmet
Commercial Castings, 978-369-5410
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