Vertically
Integrated
Operations
Global Advanced Metals is a leading vertically integrated and conflict-free provider of high performance tantalum metallurgical and powder products to the electronics, aerospace, automotive, chemical manufacturing and other industries.
We have a significant presence in the global tantalum market because of our vertically integrated business that produces ore, concentrates, metallurgical products and capacitor powders.
Our operations are based in a number of countries and include:
- Metallurgical products and capacitor powders in the United States
- Powders for additive manufacturing in the United States
- Capacitor powders in Japan
- R&D in the United States and Japan
Aizu – Japan
Our Aizu plant, north of Tokyo, has been producing the world’s high quality, highest capacitance capacitor powders for more than 40 years. This facility has consistently been an industry leader in the commercial production of “next-generation” capacitor-grade tantalum powders.
The Aizu team are intensely focused on advanced tantalum materials research and development and continue industry-leading tantalum powder product improvement.
The Aizu plant is certified for ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 by Japan Chemical Quality Assurance Ltd (JCQA). In 1994, the facility was one of the first in Japan to be certified ISO 9001.
In 2010, our Boyertown and Aizu plants were the first metal processing operations to be audited and declared “conflict-free” by the EICC/GeSI organized smelter validation program.
Boyertown – USA
The Boyertown plant in Pennsylvania is the only fully integrated producer of tantalum and niobium in the United States. The refinery has been operating at its 300 acre site for over 70 years.
Boyertown manufactures tantalum capacitor-grade powder, including proprietary high-voltage products, as well as metallurgical products of tantalum, niobium and their alloys.
Here, world-class electron beam (EB) furnaces produce large diameter, highest purity ingots, for some of the most chemically, metallurgically and mechanically consistent products available anywhere.
Known for its commitment to quality, Boyertown is certified to ISO 9001 by the Bureau Veritas Quality International (NA) Incorporated (BVQI).
GAM’s commitment to safety, health and environmental protection has lead the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to certify Boyertown as a “Star” site, the highest level in its prestigious Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP).
Research and Development (R&D)
Our dedicated R&D team includes recognized tantalum experts in the United States and Japan. Their ongoing research is particularly focused on developing the next generation of higher capacitance products to meet the growing need for miniaturization in the electronics industry, and on products for emerging high voltage applications among others.
The development of products such as our industry-leading 300,000 CV/g powders are enabling our customers to produce ever-smaller capacitors with higher capacitance.
Current industry process technologies face physical and economic barriers at about the 250,000 CV/g level. As a result, our R&D focus is on technological breakthroughs to overcome these barriers and enable the manufacture “ultra-high” CV powders.
Our R&D program also includes increasing the voltage capability of tantalum powders, across the entire range of capacitance. These programs apply not only to our proprietary, high voltage “Flake” powders (unique to the industry), but also to more conventional “Ground Electron-Beam” and “Sodium-Reduced” powder types.
In addition to improving electrical properties, we are actively developing new methods for managing the physical properties of our capacitor powders, such as bulk density, particle size distribution and strength. These methods enable us to tailor powders to specific customer needs, allowing them to optimize “in-process” and “in-product” performance.
GAM’s ultra high CV capacitor grade tantalum powder development is used in small devices such as wearables like watches and ear devices while the high voltage capacitor grade tantalum powder development is used in high voltage applications where long term reliability is a key demand such as mission critical automobile components like airbags and other sensors.
Our R&D success is enabled by close collaboration with our customers, our deep understanding of their evolving requirements, as well as the requirements of the end users in the electronics industry.
