H.C. Starck Solutions

What H.C. Starck Solutions does

H.C. Starck Solutions, now operating under its parent Elmet Technologies LLC following a November 2023 acquisition, is a specialty manufacturer of refractory metal products founded in 1920. The company produces pure and alloyed tungsten, molybdenum, and niobium in powder, semi-finished, and fabricated forms, including sputtering targets, glass melting electrodes, isothermal forging dies, radiation shielding components, collimators, balance weights, vibration dampeners, and additively manufactured parts. Its manufacturing footprint spans three US production facilities — Coldwater (MI), Euclid (OH), and Lewiston (ME) — totaling approximately 400,000 square feet of capacity anchored by capital-intensive assets such as a 5,000 metric ton extrusion press, rotary forging equipment, hot and cold rolling mills, and multiple additive manufacturing systems (laser powder bed fusion, binder jet, directed energy deposition, and 3D screen printing). The innovation team holds more than 200 active patents worldwide.

The company serves enterprise customers across four primary verticals — Aerospace, Defense & Government; Electronics (semiconductors, flat panel displays, photovoltaics); Medical (CT scanners, X-ray tubes, radiotherapy); and Industrial Equipment (glass manufacturing, heat treatment, power conversion) — through a direct enterprise sales motion with regional contacts across North America, South America, EMEA, India, and Australasia. Pricing is quote-based with no public list pricing, and revenue derives from two streams: hardware sales of refractory metal products and toll manufacturing services (extrusion, forging, hot/cold rolling) for customers supplying their own materials. The go-to-market emphasizes technical engineering consultation, downloadable technical brochures in multiple languages, and a comprehensive product catalog indexed by material, industry, application, and fabrication method.

Post-acquisition, the company has been restructured as a 100% US-owned entity for the first time in its history and operates an ecosystem of sub-brands (Elmet Additive, Elmet C103, Elmet Extrusion, Elmet Forging Dies, Elmet Glass Melting, Elmet Kulite Tungsten, Elmet Niobium, Elmet Powders, Elmet Rolling) to commercialize distinct product lines. Its vertical integration from powder metallurgy through finished fabrications, combined with qualification-driven switching costs in mission-critical applications, forms the basis of its competitive positioning in the specialty refractory metals market.

Name

H.C. Starck Solutions

Legal name

Elmet Technologies LLC

Website

https://hcstarcksolutions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

H.C. Starck Solutions, now operating as Elmet Technologies following its November 2023 acquisition, manufactures pure and alloyed tungsten, molybdenum, and niobium products — powders, semi-finished parts, fabrications, and additively manufactured components — for aerospace & defense, electronics, medical, and industrial customers from three US production facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Newton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Refractory Metal Products: Manufacture and sale of refractory metal products including powders, semi-finished parts (plate, sheet, foil, coil, tube, rod, disks, bars), finished fabrications, and additively manufactured components. Revenue generated through direct product sales to industrial customers.
2. Toll Manufacturing Services: Processing services including extrusion, forging, hot and cold rolling provided to customers who supply their own materials for conversion.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

H.C. Starck Solutions (now operating as Elmet Technologies) manufactures and fabricates refractory metal products from pure and alloyed tungsten, molybdenum, and niobium. The company produces refractory metal powders, semi-finished forms (plate, sheet, foil, coil, tube, rod, disks, bars), finished fabrications, and additively manufactured components, alongside toll processing services such as extrusion, forging, hot and cold rolling.

Product overview

H.C. Starck Solutions (now Elmet Technologies) is a leading supplier of technology metals and refractory metal solutions. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio spanning three main material categories: molybdenum (including TZM, MoLa, MHC alloys), tungsten (including tungsten heavy alloys under Kulite and HPM brands), and niobium (including C-103 alloy). Their product offerings include refractory metal powders, semi-finished products (plate, sheet, foil, tube, rod, bars), finished fabrications, and additively manufactured components. Core products include sputtering targets, glass melting electrodes, isothermal forging dies, radiation shielding components, collimators, bearing parts, balance weights, and vibration dampeners. The company also provides toll manufacturing services including extrusion, hot/cold rolling, and additive manufacturing. The portfolio serves aerospace, defense, medical, electronics, and industrial equipment markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Refractory Metal Powders High-performance refractory metal powders including tungsten, molybdenum, and niobium for various industrial applications, with custom design of chemical and physical properties including particle size, surface structure, granularity, and consistency.
• Molybdenum Products Pure molybdenum and molybdenum alloys including TZM, MoLa, and MHC for applications in electronics, medical, aerospace, and industrial furnace components.
• Tungsten Products Pure tungsten and tungsten heavy alloys (Kulite K1700 through K1850 grades and HPM tungsten composites) for aerospace, medical, semiconductor, and defense applications with melting point of 3422°C.
• Niobium Products Niobium and niobium alloys including C-103 for aerospace propulsion, superconductors, and nuclear power applications.
• Semi-Finished Refractory Metal Products Plate, sheet, foil, coil, tube, rod, disks, and bars in pure and alloyed refractory metals for industrial fabricators.
• Tungsten Heavy Alloy Balance Weights High-density tungsten balance weights (17.0-18.5 g/cm3) for aerospace, defense, and industrial balancing and vibration control applications.
• Tungsten Heavy Alloy Vibration Dampeners Tungsten alloy vibration dampeners for aerospace, aviation, and industrial machinery to diminish harmful oscillations and protect mechanical systems.
• Sputtering Targets Molybdenum and niobium sputtering targets for thin film deposition in electronics, semiconductors, flat panel displays, and photovoltaic applications, manufactured in more than 10 distinct chemical arrangements.
• Isothermal Forging Dies MHC and TZM molybdenum alloy forging dies for aerospace jet engine component manufacturing with high temperature strength and creep resistance.
• Missile Warhead Liners and Penetrators Molybdenum and tungsten heavy alloy materials for explosively formed penetrators and shaped charge liners in defense munitions.
• Bearing Parts Refractory metal bearing parts for medical X-ray and CT scanner applications, including molybdenum and TZM components for rotating anode assemblies.
• Collimators and Anti-Scatter Grids Tungsten and molybdenum collimators and anti-scatter grids for CT scanning, radiotherapy, and radiation management in medical imaging.
• Radiation Shielding Parts High-density refractory metal shielding components (10.2-18.5 g/cc) for medical, aerospace, and industrial radiation protection applications, with up to 50% higher X-ray and gamma radiation absorption efficiency than lead.
• Isotope Containers Tungsten alloy containers for safe storage and transport of radioactive materials in medical and research settings.
• Molybdenum Glass Melting Electrodes Pure molybdenum and MoZrO2 glass melting electrodes for electric glass furnaces in container glass, fiberglass, and specialty glass production.
• Additive Manufacturing Services 3D printing and additive manufacturing of refractory metals including powder bed fusion, binder jet, directed energy deposition, and 3D screen printing of tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, and niobium in pure and alloyed forms.
• Extrusion Services 5,000 metric ton extrusion press for rods, tubes, and complex cross-sections (152-432mm diameter) in refractory and specialty metals, with billet preheating up to 1925°C.
• Hot and Cold Rolling Services Rolling services for refractory metals to produce sheet, plate, and foil products with precision thickness tolerances, available as toll processing for customer-supplied materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Refractory metals can have melting points greater than 2,200°C, with tungsten at ~3,422°C
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kennametal Inc. US-based global supplier of metalworking tools and wear-resistant products including tungsten carbide inserts and components for aerospace, industrial machining, and earthworks. Adjacent to H.C. Starck Solutions in refractory-metal-based industrial wear applications and tooling feedstock markets.
• Mersen: French industrial materials specialist producing refractory products, carbon-based materials, and anticorrosion equipment for high-temperature industrial processes. Adjacent to H.C. Starck Solutions in serving high-temperature industrial equipment customers, semiconductor process customers, and select aerospace specialty applications.
• ATI (Allegheny Technologies Incorporated): Large US specialty materials producer of titanium, nickel-based, cobalt, and refractory alloys for aerospace, defense, medical, and energy markets. Overlaps with H.C. Starck Solutions in specialty alloy flat-rolled products and aerospace/defense supply, though ATI's portfolio is significantly broader.
• Mitsubishi Materials Corporation: Large Japanese manufacturer of cemented carbide, specialty alloys, and refractory metal products including tungsten carbide cutting tools and tungsten/molybdenum fabricated components. Comparable to H.C. Starck Solutions in tungsten-based products and serves similar global specialty materials customers from a regional Asian base.
• Carpenter Technology Corporation: US producer of specialty alloys including high-performance nickel and cobalt alloys for aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial applications. Adjacent positioning in specialty metallics with overlapping customer base in medical imaging components and aerospace engineered materials.
• Materion Corporation: US-based supplier of advanced materials including beryllium alloys, precious metals, and specialty coatings serving aerospace, defense, semiconductor, and industrial markets. Overlaps with H.C. Starck Solutions in performance-critical materials for technical applications and semiconductor process equipment.
• Climax Molybdenum (Freeport-McMoRan): Major primary molybdenum producer (a division of Freeport-McMoRan) operating the Climax mine in Colorado plus conversion facilities globally. While upstream-focused on concentrate rather than fabricated products, it is the most significant North American competitor in primary molybdenum supply feeding the same downstream value chain.

Direct peers

• Rhenium Alloys: US-based specialty refractory metals manufacturer focused on tungsten, molybdenum, and rhenium alloys serving aerospace, medical, electronics, and industrial markets. Direct niche competitor in fabricated refractory metal components with overlapping customer base in mission-critical applications.
• Plansee Group: Austrian-headquartered global leader in refractory metal products based on molybdenum, tungsten, tantalum, and niobium. Direct competitor to H.C. Starck Solutions/Elmet Technologies across sputtering targets, semi-finished products, and fabricated refractory metal components for similar aerospace, electronics, and industrial customer base.
• Wolfram Bergbau und Hütten AG: Austrian tungsten mining and primary processing company producing tungsten metal powders and intermediates. Comparable to H.C. Starck Solutions' upstream tungsten powder capability, with European regional rather than global semi-finished/fabricated products footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about H.C. Starck Solutions