Alldyne Powder Technologies headquarters and manufacturing plant.
Located in Huntsville Alabama, Alldyne Powder Technologies, An Allegheny Technologies company (NYSE: ATI), is a leading producer of advanced Tungsten and Tungsten Carbide materials, mainly serving the hard materials industry. Alldyne and its Huntsville factory have a rich history, which reaches back to the very beginnings of tungsten’s industrial use.
In 1916, just 16 years after Bethlehem Steel first introduced tungsten-containing high speed steels at the Paris World’s Fair, mining engineer K.C. Li founded a trading company for the refinement and export of tungsten and antimony ores from his native China. Li called his new company Wah Chang, meaning "great development", and over the next several decades his company earned that name, pioneering the creation of new specialty metals and alloys. Li is considered one of the early leaders in the tungsten and cemented carbide industry.
The Huntsville facility, built in 1955-56 by a joint venture of Mallory and Schwarzkopf Development Corp., was sold to Li and Wah Chang in 1960.
Teledyne, Inc. acquired Wah Chang in 1967. In 1971, tungsten and tungsten carbide powders were first produced at the company allowing Wah Chang to enter the heavy metal and cemented carbide markets on a global scale. The development of chemical processing capabilities in 1982 allowed Wah Chang Huntsville to process tungsten materials from ore to finished grade powders. In 1992 a corporate restructuring placed Wah Chang Huntsville with other Teledyne companies and became known as Teledyne Advanced Materials. This combination formed a group of companies capable of processing tungsten from raw materials to a finished carbide product.
During this time Dr. Bernhard Kieffer ran Teledyne. Bernhard or “Bernie” oversaw the development and industrialization of Huntsville’s Zinc Reclaim operation, Grade powder facility, and APT plant. He spent most of his time developing techniques for making high performance grade powders from recycled material streams. Dr. Kieffer passed away in 1996, leaving behind a legacy of recycling technology, and grade powder production know-how.
In 1996, Teledyne Inc. Merged with Allegheny Ludlum Corporation. In 2000, Allegheny Technologies Inc. announced the creation of Metalworking Products, led by President David Hogan. Mr. Hogan saw the synergies between Alldyne and Metalworking’s other divisions (ATI Firth Sterling, Stellram, Landis Threading, and most recently, Garryson Ltd.) and brought them together as a fully vertically integrated producer of Tungsten, and Tungsten Carbide materials and finished parts. The Huntsville business unit name changed from Teledyne Advanced Materials to Alldyne Powder Technologies.
In 2004, Jim Oakes, former VP of Technology for Metalworking Products, was promoted to VP of Alldyne Powder Technologies. Under his management, Alldyne is embracing new products and markets for Tungsten, Tungsten Carbide, and Molybdenum, while still providing full technological support and advanced materials for its current and new customers.
A cone blender which is used in manufacturing tungsten carbide products.
Alldyne Powder Technologies, as part of Metalworking Products, has developed incredibly sophisticated systems for developing grade powders at Alldyne’s Gurley, Alabama site. Alldyne has over 150 years of combined technical experience with tungsten production, chemistry, and new product development. By serving the huge variety of products produced by Metalworking Products, Alldyne has developed internal systems for engineered graded powders that both reduce costs and improve quality for both their internal and external customers. Alldyne’s customers are the technological and performance leaders in their fields, leveraging Alldyne’s metallurgical experience, and engineering prowess to ensure future growth.
Laboratory equipment which is used to ensure strict quality control.
Alldyne sees the future as an opportunity to form new partnerships with companies interested in engineered material solutions, cost reductions, and improved performance in both their products and business. Truly the story of American industry, Alldyne Powder Technologies looks forward to continuing its tradition of quality and innovation.
For more information, visit http://www.alldyne.com or contact Andrew Alper at 256-721-4113.
Andy Alper
Technical Marketing Manager
Alldyne Powder Technologies
256-721-4113
Visit http://www.alldyne.com