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Latrobe Specialty Steel Licenses Corrosion-Resistant Landing Gear Alloy

QuesTek Innovations has licensed production and distribution of their Ferrium S53(R) alloy— a high-strength, high-toughness, corrosion-resistant alloy—to Latrobe Specialty Steel Co.
 
Ferrium S53’s most important characteristic is its use in the construction of landing gears that no longer require what has become the standard cadmium coating. "This gives our customers one more way to succeed by using engineered, vacuum-remelted steels from Latrobe," stated Hans J. Sack, President and CEO of Latrobe Specialty Steel.
 
QuesTek designed Ferrium S53 to meet U.S. Air Force requirements for landing gears without toxic cadmium coatings. "Ferrium S53 significantly benefits the environment as well as the reliability of commercial and military aircraft,” said Dr. Charles Kuehmann, President and CEO of QuesTek. “With their capabilities and experience in aerospace, Latrobe will expand Ferrium S53 penetration of the market.”
 
Latrobe Specialty Steel's metallurgical and aerospace engineers foresee many other defense and aerospace applications beyond landing gears for Ferrium S53. Latrobe will bring many new high-performance materials to the market in the coming years. "Our cooperation with QuesTek helps Latrobe Specialty Steel to commercialize materials sooner. That means our customers can offer innovative products faster," explained Scott Balliett, Latrobe's Director of Technology and Quality Systems.
 
Headquartered in Latrobe, Pa., Latrobe Specialty Steel manufactures and globally distributes precision-engineered specialty alloys for its customers. Airframe and defense systems manufacturers specify other grades of Latrobe's high-performance, vacuum-melted and vacuum-remelted alloys for jet engine bearings, helicopter rotor shafts, fighting vehicle torsion bars, and spacecraft components. In business continuously since 1913, Latrobe Specialty Steel employs approximately 900 people in ten locations throughout North America and Europe.
 
Based in Evanston, Ill., QuesTek Innovations LLC computationally designs alloys to customer specifications and licenses the use and/or production of these alloys to appropriate partners.