Höganäs Acquisition of H.C. Starck Division Advances AM Offerings

Sweden-based metal powder provider Höganäs has acquired the Surface Technology & Ceramic Powders (STC) division of H.C. Starck. The STC business provides metal powders for additive manufacturing and surface coating applications. This move expands Höganäs’ footprint in the surface coating and AM markets, and will enable its business to grow beyond traditional powder metallurgy, the company says. 

While Höganäs already has a presence in the AM materials space, H.C. Starck adds to the company’s portfolio the ability to create customer- and machine-specific metal powders. STC’s Amperprint range of metal powders developed for 3D printing already offers nickel-, cobalt- and iron-based alloys. The STC division also has the capability to develop and modify custom materials before going into full-scale volume production.

“With STC Höganäs gets access to new markets and product groups within the premium segment for surface coating and additive manufacturing. The acquisition means that we start the building of a second strong leg in Höganäs’ business, next to metal powder for pressed and sintered components,” says Fredrik Emilson, president and CEO of the Höganäs Group.

The STC deal follows Höganäs’ acquisition in 2017 of Metasphere Technology, a Swedish start-up that has developed an atomizing technology using plasma for high-performing materials, and its acquisition in February 2018 of Alvier PM-Technology, a Swiss company specializing in designing and manufacturing of tools for pressing of metal powder components.

Due to its acquisitions, the Höganäs Group says it is now able to offer complete powder solutions and satisfy demand for almost all material sophistication levels. Besides water and gas atomized powders, the Swedish company now also offers spherical powders manufactured by vacuum inert gas atomization (VIGA) or plasma atomization to meet its customers’ requirements.