QuesTek Innovations Develops New Printable Alloy Concept with Support from Aerospace and Energy Leaders

  • Post category:In the News

Evanston, IL — [September 09, 2025] — QuesTek Innovations, a leader in computational materials engineering is working with a global leader in niobium production to develop a high-temperature alloy design concept optimized for additive manufacturing. The effort aims to support the development of next-generation alloys for the aerospace and energy industries, with a focus on scalability, supply chain resilience, and application-specific performance. The concept is being shaped with input from respected industry leaders—including GE Vernova and Technetics Group—to ensure it aligns with real-world manufacturing demands and performance goals across propulsion, power generation, and advanced equipment sectors.

Component-level combustor research, design, and testing enables future, more sustainable small-core turbofan engines. Credit: NASA
Component-level combustor research, design, and testing enable future, more sustainable small-core turbofan engines. Credit: NASA

Addressing Industry Pressures
As manufacturers across advanced industries face growing pressures from supply chain disruptions, materials scarcity, and performance demands, this partnership aims to deliver a timely solution: a printable alloy that reduces dependence on traditional manufacturing bottlenecks while enabling high-performance parts to be made faster, lighter, and more efficiently.

By designing this material for additive manufacturing, QuesTek is helping to future-proof production strategies. The new alloy will eliminate long tooling lead times and forge limitations that often slow development in high-temperature applications, offering flexibility and agility for manufacturers navigating a rapidly shifting global landscape.

Enabling a Cleaner, More Scalable Future
The alloy development is also aligned with broader energy and sustainability goals. By supporting hotter, more efficient engines and reducing manufacturing waste, it offers a path to lower emissions and increased system efficiency.

The multi-phase project is moving rapidly from digital simulation to physical validation, leveraging QuesTek’s ICMD® design and engineering platform to create material ready for modern manufacturing challenges.