High Performance Alloys videos

High Performance Alloys is a producer of forgings and bar products. Radial forged bars have been made in Tipton since 1994, and press forging was added in 2006.

HPAlloys is primarily working difficult materials such as Hastelloy, Inconel, Nitronic and Haynes alloys. We are also able to work extremely difficult to forge materials such as Nitinol, Titanium, Tantalum, Zirconium, Stellite, Waspalloy, Rene, Tungsten and Molybdenum.

Production of Billet on our 750 ton open die forge press




Showing the operation of our GFM 412 rotary forge


Here is a link to our YouTube page, where new content can be found after this blog page becomes old.

If there is a video you would like to see produced, please contact us and tell us you would like to learn more about our manufacturing processes.

NITRONC 60 in H2S, NACE application

NITRONIC 60 in H2S

 has had three annealed heats (Rb95/98) tested for the NACE MR-01-75 standard, and it passed. Unfortunately, the committee wanted to see results up to Rc22 for annealed material (a larger barrage of testing) and it was never completed.

We have several customers that have used NITRONIC 60 in H2S environment down-hole. If the customer requires a NACE compliant material, they would have to use NITRONIC 50, as it is approved. It is stronger and more corrosion resistant than 316. NITRONIC 50 also has better wear and galling characteristics than 316, but the wear and galling is not as good as NITRONIC 60.

The following paper talks about how the material was used in a unique light design STAB. Hundreds were used over several years and only one failed. The circumstances of the failure are unclear. It would be my guess that an inorganic acid was present in the particular region was the cause. This was supposed to be a low H2S well. If you have the time to read the paper, you can understand that the part failed in a very unusual manner, from a practice that will hopefully not be performed again. This paper is available at no charge on the link provided, though you may need to create an account with the store. In any case, it is one failure report - and it would be difficult to reproduce.

Users could also do what many of our customers have done, which is try the NITRONIC 60 as a test case. Upon satisfactory results, they can keep the information to themselves, and it becomes their IP without having to submit data to NACE about how and where they are using the material. This allows users to retain their trade secrets, but bolsters no new progress for the material in this application. If you have data to share, please submit it for collection and review.

I do not forsee testing completing to NACE MR0175/ISO 15156 in the near future, as the overall cost of the testing is prohibitive for the small volume use it may gain. If as a user, you feel that this stance is hindering the use of the material, please contact us so that we may re-evaluate the situation.

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NACE 2013 - ORLANDO

High Performance Alloys will be exhibiting at NACE 2013 in Orlando this week, March 18-21. Located in booth 419! Please feel free to stop by and say HI to David, Glenda, Rick and Cindy through the week. They have all kinds of goodies to hand out, and their smiling faces will just bring tons of joy to your day. Stop by and say you say the posting on the 'NET'.

Russ Kirchner Jr. is a long time supporter, and will hopefully get his 50 year pin this time. I know he was looking forward to picking it up himself, but has decided he traveled enough through Florida already this month. Still enjoying his retirement to the fullest...

In other NACE related news, keep an eye out for our listing in the MPBuyersGuide.com

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Super Austenitic Stainless Steels

A stainless is defined as 12% minimum Chromium, which can encompass many stainless grades. There are sub categories of this Austenitic type stainless though. Depending on the composition, some materials are more Austenitic than others; primarily due to their Nickel (Ni), Manganese (Mn), Carbon (C) and Nitrogen (N) contents. To consider this further, you need to understand the corollary to Austenite; Ferrite and Martensite are what many people are looking for when they require magnetism, or magnetic permeability. When you mix Austenite and Ferrite it is a Duplex (contains both, nearly equal amounts). A low Ferrite number generally indicates a lower magnetic permeability. Stainless that is high in Ni, Mn, C, or N or a combination thereof can be an indicator that it will have a lower Ferrite content. Some stainless steels with generous amount of these attain a negative ferrite calculation, using Schaefflers diagram you can predict these on a graph or us a Ferrite Number (FN) formula to arrive at the estimate.

Why is the Austenitic structure so important in many applications? Austenite is a Face Centered Cubic (FCC) crystalline structure, the most resistant to corrosion. Many Nickel based alloys are very well known for their austenitic structure to aid in the slowing of corrosion in extreme environments. Here is where it becomes a bit unclear. Not all Austenitic stainless grades will remain austenitic – they may partially change structure to Body Centered Cubic (BCC) Ferrite with deformation and become more magnetic. This phase change also can create problems with corrosion that were unexpected. These are two things that Austenitic stainless steels normally would be detrimental. This phase change is known as Transformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP). 304 and 316 are affected by this phenomenon.

If you want your austenitic stainless to remain austenitic, you need to make sure that it is a fully austenitic stainless – one that is stable at temperature, and also after forming (deformation). Two grades that are excellent replacements for 300 series stainless steels are: Nitronic 50 for replacing 316, and Nitronic 60 for replacing 304. Both are fully austenitic with low magnetic permeability, with higher Nickel and Chromium to stabilize the grades. As an added bonus, the Nitrogen austenitizing additions help to elevate the yield strength of the Nitronic grades. High Performance Alloys calls these Super Austenitic Stainless steels.

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Customer surveys are coming in

We received some interesting feedback from our surveys this last year. I am happy to announce that the results are very positive. Here are the outcomes as tallied: Quotes 85% positive with 7% negative and Orders were 92% positive with 4% negative. There were some neutral survey points that neither help nor hurt. More order surveys were completed than Quotes surveys. Yes, ideally, we would love to be at 110% on both of these surveys - but overall our QA seems happy with the metrics. We had about as many neutral as negative with an overwhelming positive outlook on High Performance Alloys.

Things identified that we need to work on: Timeliness of quotes - we had 10% of respondents disappointed with how quick their quote was provided. We do try to take care of our customers needs; it does take time to hunt down the impossible and Unobtanium is very scarce these days. Another common theme was including freight estimates into quotations.  We normally do not provide a freight quote if we do not know how fast the customer needs the material. (We normally pick the economic route, and its needed quicker.) We are still able to provide same day shipping (a feat we feared was near impossible with the change to ISO 9001 documentation years ago).

The good news is that there is a solution coming that will help both of these issues - a new commerce platform is in the final stages of completion! Not only will it help to alleviate some pressure on sales staff, it will be available 24/7 - and it can estimate freight and parcel shipment costs.

We must note that the data has been culled for outlying data. At times conflicting information, such as being "Very Unsatisfied" across the board - while at the same time (the same survey customer), they also indicated that we are "Low Cost, Great Service, Fair and Trusted".  Someone apparently is misinformed about what "Very Unsatisfied" means. I guess we all take our lumps at times, but we believe that it was mistakenly filled out. Overall, it has been a great survey with lots of positive information flowing. Follow ups will be made and a few changes will be reviewed.

2012 Quote survey quotes from clients:

"All quotes are handled quickly and appreciate the extra effort.  People are always helpful.    Thanks."

"HPA has always been a trusted supplier for our NITRONIC stainless steel needs."

"I have always received excellent service when I have called for pricing.  Will continue to do business with HPA.  Thank you."

"Speedy Quote system"

"Quotations are always prompt and clear as to what is being offered if a substitution is being made.  That said, HPAlloys is a pleasure to work with."

Chad got back to me quickly and was able to quote all of the items I asked for.  Thanks! 

2012 Order survey quotes from customers:

"We generally need only small quantities - it's great that HPA is accommodating to our needs. I like how we can get smaller cut-off pieces, at a highly competitive price."

"Glenda is great... "

"Everyone is very helpful. You also do a lot of business with us so it is a win win for both companies. Great people."

"I had a good experience dealing with your company, Steve was very helpful. I have only ordered once this year but the price and lead time was good. I plan to continue using your company in the future."

"VERY HELPFUL IN RESOLVING 'HARD TO FIND METAL' ISSUES."

"Jerry Pyle is great to deal with and takes care of our needs."

"Very happy with HPA just wish I had more business to give you." 

"I've been dealing with HPA and Scott for almost 15 years now. He is always there if I should have a question and is one of the most reliable when it comes to getting price quotes back quickly."

If you have not had a chance to fill out a survey, please let us hear your voice!

Please take a few minutes and complete this order survey if you placed an order. It is only 6 question, so it won’t take very long!

If you only tried to get a quote from us, please use the quote survey, which is also brief. Again it is only 6 questions (plus the profile) so it won’t take very long either.

As you can see, we are reading them - and we are taking them to heart!

Jeff Kirchner
President

New Facility under Construction

HP Alloy Rolls with the Times, and Lifts the Local Economy

No-one can make the convincing argument that the American economy is safely out of the doldrums. To the contrary, both America and the world economy at large continue to falter and teeter, two steps forward then one step back. With the ongoing financial crises in Greece, Spain, and now possibly Italy, there’s serious talk in both Right and Left circles that the current economic instability in Europe could possibly generate “aftershock” setbacks for economies worldwide, from the United States and Canada to China and India. Looking back to the economically gloomy years of 2008-2010, that’s a peril we all can do well to avoid. And while different visions abound on Capitol Hill as far as how to go about advancing job creation, we at HP Alloy aren’t about to wait on a pack of politicians in Washington to arrive at a sensible solution. When it comes to job creation, we’re doing it ourselves right here in Indiana, and we’re doing just fine at it, thanks.

In addition to our old operating space, we have broken significant ground on a whole new set of facilities. By an as yet to be announced date, we can safely say that our total company space will encompass 75,000 square feet. Obviously, this significant upgrading of our capabilities provides hard-hat jobs for local Indiana construction workers who might otherwise be clicking the Internet in search of a job. Not only that bit of good news, but a steady rise in our quotes and orders has led us to identify 8 new hires to our company. New jobs added to the payroll include a mechanical technician, an engineer, an electrical technician, and several new programmers and computer specialists.

While the ultimate goal will be to consolidate our two facilities (the old one and the new one) into one larger “behemoth,” the overall feeling at HP Alloy is that the wind is in our favor, our own business contracts are on the up and up, and that we have a broadening need for additional labor to help us out, both specialized and unspecialized. Whether the American economy soars or tumbles in subsequent years; we have established a firm, bedrock clientele for our company to continue to serve, and have also begun to expand successfully into other sectors of the economy we hadn’t previously had the privilege to serve. It’s a win-win for HP Alloy, and a win-win for America: that’s just plain truth. No economic plan need apply at our company.

Deep Well Drilling

Deep Well Drilling: the Deeper They Go, the More They Need Us

With the hydraulic fracturing boom currently underway in places as various as North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, North Dakota, and Alberta, there comes a corresponding requirement for drilling technology that can sustain the output. Since “fracking” usually involves drilling deeper than most land-based oil extraction operations have previously gone, companies are realizing they need to forego the low-grade fabrication materials by which they’ve previously constructed their drill-bits and such. The deeper a well gets drilled, the greater the temperature unleashed. It’s only nature taking its course, since the deeper portions of Earth’s crust contain larger concentrations of sulfur and chlorides.

That’s why drilling companies looking to do business in the Marcellus Shale Deposit, or in the several trillion-barrel Bakken Deposit itself, are coming knocking at our dooryard. With our easy ability to provide large quantities of both raw and forged corrosion and heat-resistant alloys, alloys such as nickel-chrome moly C-276 or 625, drilling clients know full well what level of dependability they’re getting for their money. Furthermore, we’ve been supplying super stainless alloys like nitronic 50 and nitronic 60 in capacities such that our customers seem very satisfied. The hydraulic fracturing renaissance has added jobs for America, raised standards of living in destitute counties, and drastically lowered our dependence on the vicissitudes of foreign oil. We hope to continue playing a valuable role in this much-needed segment of America’s “new” economy.