Proprietary Deep Draw

Very few manufacturing companies in North America deep draw or machine reactive or refractory metals because of the difficulty and cost. Albany, Oregon based Metal Technology (MTI), has been fabricating and forming alloys including Niobium, Tantalum, Zirconium, Vanadium, Titanium, Molybdenum and Copper since its inception in1971.

MTI has accumulated an impressive inventory of tooling for its press operations. Each tool is machined in-house and then heat-treated to harden. “We have several millions of dollars worth of tooling at our disposal which saves customers time and money,” according to Pat Coffey, MTI’s VP of Operations. Even with its experienced staff and tooling inventory the company continues to seek new efficiencies through lean manufacturing concepts and cutting edge manufacturing processes.

In 2014 MTI expanded capabilities by commissioning a new 1200-ton press to expand deep draw, forging, and rubber pad forming operations.  Additionally, MTI invested in emerging technologies by adding direct metal laser 3D printing to its portfolio of services, and expanding their team of professionals, including a staff metallurgist and industry specific business development experts.

An exciting new forging project at MTI involves an innovative process to hot-press molybdenum, tantalum, or copper shapes. The precise tooling for the project is fabricated under the guidance of the project’s lead-engineer, a 40-year metals manufacturing expert. The initiative began in earnest in February 2015 after months of planning. “Difficult and challenging jobs are what we have a passion for,” explained Jason Stitzel, MTI’s Director of Engineering and grandson of the company’s founder. “We thrive on creating parts that other companies can’t make or don’t have the experience to make successfully.”

“In 2015 we are seeking to continue expanding on initiatives that we began in 2014. Our 2014-experience of machining pure “moly” (Molybdenum) components provided the perfect step into hot-forging moly. Very soon, we’ll be able to create a near-net shape with custom tooling and then machine that to final specification.  From there our goal is to be able to provide hybrid solutions made from Molybdenum and other alloys using a combination of additive manufacturing, precision machining, and press work to achieve solutions never before possible from those materials ” said Coffey.

MTI works with very diverse markets and industries including aerospace, defense, chemical processing, coatings, high-energy physics and nuclear medicine (among others). Customers ranging from the National Labs to Space-travel prime contractors rely on MTI to deliver – and deliver MTI does. MTI finished 2014 with an On-Time delivery average over 93%. It’s such an important part of company’s “Customer Focus” that MTI ties companywide compensation to the metric.

“Through our product development activities we’re able to drive economic value directly to our customer’s bottom line and that’s really the story behind why many of our customers have been doing business with us for so long,” said Gary Cosmer, MTI’s Chief Executive Officer.

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About Metal Technology (MTI)

With more than forty years of experience applying innovative, proprietary technologies, Metal Technology (MTI) is making possible the use of difficult alloys for a wider range of applications with greater efficiency, versatility, and reliability. Alloys include Tantalum, Niobium, Zirconium, Titanium, Tungsten and Molybdenum. MTI uses specialized deep-draw, spinning, forging, machining, EDM, and additive manufacturing methods to deliver superior products according to your exacting specifications.

Contact us for more information on our additive manufacturing capabilities.