M E TA L B U I LT BETTER Modumetal’s innovative nanotechnology makes metal more corrosion resistant, safer, and sustainable. President and CEO, Dennis Creech, explains how Writer: Jack Salter Project Manager: David Knott
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he science of metals is changing. Modumetal, a global nanotechnology company headquartered outside Seattle, is revolutionizing the essential building blocks of major industries. Creating new possibilities across entire sectors, from transportation and energy to infrastructure and beyond, Modumetal is focused on improving the performance of industrial materials by developing new applications and scalable 2 | North America Outlook issue 09
processes. “Our technology exceeds the performance limitations of materials today, at a cost that is competitive with conventional metals,” opens the President and CEO of Modumetal, Dennis Creech. The company’s cutting-edge technology produces nanolaminated materials that demonstrate unique characteristics such as increased environmental resistance, durability and wear performance, fundamentally
changing the effectiveness of metals used in many applications and solving corrosion problems across a variety of industries. A nanometer is an inconceivably small unit of measurement, approximately 100,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, yet Modumetal has managed to achieve an impressive industrial-scale manufacturing process that delivers nanolaminated alloys. Precision wave form technology,
MODUMETAL MANUFACTURING
tailored with Modumetal’s proprietary chemistry, causes metal ions to bond together in layers of nanometric thickness, an environmentally sustainable process superior to conventional methods. “Modumetal’s nanolamination technology provides a tenfold performance increase and cost parity with existing products, driving consumer demand and revolutionizing the metals field – customers love our products!” acclaims Creech.
PROVEN TECHNOLOGY With a fully automated production line in Houston, Texas, Modumetal nanolaminates fasteners for use in the energy industry along with licensees in Scotland and Malaysia. The company is investing to quadruple capacity by mid-2022, having impressively sold out the full capacity of its Houston production facility last year. “North American industry is bouncing back, and manufacturing is
tremendously fun and exciting to be working in as it plays a key role in driving the US economy,” Creech tells us. “The US has exported much of its manufacturing prowess overseas but is now bringing it back as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and the need to create meaningful jobs in the country.” Modumetal products have now been added to the specifications of most leading energy companies, and its technology has been North America Outlook issue 09 | 3
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Tri-Star Industries Tri-Star Industries have been at the forefront of providing innovative corrosion prevention solutions to the energy industry for the past 40 years. We have been the market leader in corrosion resistant fasteners with our MASTERCOTE, MASTERGARD and MASTERNiZCote coating systems, setting class-leading records in ASTM B117 salt-spray tests. Now, with the latest partnership with Modumetal, we offer the NanoGalv range of fasteners that perform even better even without a barrier PTFE or ceramic top coat.
substantiated via joint industry papers. Field trials have also been successfully completed in the world’s harshest environments, proof that the technology works. “This provides us with a unique competitive advantage and barrier to entry for competitors,” notes Creech, who cites NanoGalv® as the best performing corrosion-resistant
MODUMETAL’S 2022 BUSINESS PRIORITIES 2022 is a critical year for Modumetal, whose four key priorities for the coming year are to: • Continue penetrating energy industry end users. • Expand its licensee network for both NanoGalv® and NanoPlex®. • Qualify products with automotive and other industrial end users. • Build out the Modumetal team to support growth and drive the latest nanolamination technology innovations.
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coating used in the oil and gas industry. A nanolaminated zinc-nickel coating designed for highly corrosive applications, NanoGalv® can be used as a drop-in replacement for cadmium, conventional galvanize, epoxy, and PTFE coatings. “If you damage a homogenous coating during installation, for instance, you can create a corrosion path vertically down to the substrate (base metal), whereas if you damage the NanoGalv® coating, the exposed layer directs the corrosion horizontally,” Creech explains. NanoPlex®, meanwhile, is a nickelcobalt nanolaminate technology that commercially addresses corrosion and wear resistance in subsurface applications, designed to protect industrial tubulars and couplings. Modumetal, whose final product, ModuGalv®, has been field trialed to address corrosion and extended life expectancy in infrastructurerelated applications, generates revenue through product sales and by licensing its technology to steel manufacturers and automotive electroplaters to reduce logistics and capital costs.
The NanoGalv naonolamination technology is ground breaking and changes conventional engineering designs. It provides for the ability to use 2A fit fasteners to API 20E specifications, yet with unmatched corrosion resistance. No over-sizing or under-sizing of nuts or bolts is required. Tri-Star’s NanoGalv technology is also utilized to coat parts outside of the offshore and energy industries. With very thin yet super effective nano layers of corrosion protection, the technology is suitable for any high precision engineering or parts, from semiconductor to automotive industries. Together with our patented series of hydraulic bolt tightening tools and bolting integrity software, we provide a comprehensive solution to ensure every bolt and joint is tightened optimally and guaranteed leak-free. Tri-Star also engineers cathodic protection solutions to protect underwater structures - from jetty walls to jackets and wind monopiles and tripods. Offering either the DIMET sacrificial anodes system or the impressed current system of cathodic protection, we offer the most appropriate and cost effective solution for our clients. Other Tri-Star products include M*RAK cable support system, made of steel, aluminium or FRP, specified as the preferred brand for offshore, onshore and critical infrastructure installations. Tri-Star’s products are manufactured in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the U.A.E. and Australia, and supplied globally.
sales@tristar.com.sg
www.tristar.com.sg
Supplying FPSOs, drilling and production platforms, subsea equipment, power and petrochemical plants, tunnels, pipelines, jetties and wind farms since 1979.
FASTENERS API 20E and 20F fasteners for critical applications. • Shell global frame agreement holder Corrosion resistant, cryogenic and engineered fasteners to designed specifications • Preferred supplier to some of the biggest LNG plants in the world •
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BOLTING SOLUTIONS SWIFT-TORQUE Aluminium torque wrenches offering lightweight, speed and durability • Patented split-nut TRISTAR subsea tensioners for easy diver operation • Bolting integrity software Y
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mm
CATHODIC PROTECTION ENGINEERING •
Foundries manufacturing sacrificial anodes - DNV, and NORSOK M-503 Type Approved; Shell deepwater DEP 37.81.20.31-EPP • Subsea retrofit and refurbishment solutions • Impressed current engineering design and commissioning • Boundary Element Modeling (BEM) design verifications CABLE SUPPORT SOLUTIONS •
Aluminium, steel and FRP options - IEC and NEMA certified • PDMS catalogue • Load tested and fire rated
Contact us at: sales@tristar.com.sg
• SINGAPORE • MALAYSIA • AUSTRALIA • INDONESIA • UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
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“We sell a nanolamination design and licensing package that includes our NanoPro® controller, commissioning support, necessary training, and proprietary chemistry to begin producing Modumetal nanolamiated products quickly and easily,” outlines Creech.
DENNIS CREECH, PRESIDENT AND CEO: “I worked in the upstream energy industry for roughly 40 years with Shell, both domestically in the US and internationally, before heading up supply chain
SUSTAINABLE COATINGS Modumetal has focused on fasteners both to support the offshore energy industry, and as a means to prove the technology on a real-world application. Since then, it has entered into joint development agreements to apply the technology to additional product families. For instance, the company has entered the automotive market with a focus on electric vehicle requirements. 2021 saw Modumetal nanolaminate a pickup truck chassis and other automotive parts, whilst this year it has been approached by key customers to nanolamiate select drivetrain parts, 6 | North America Outlook issue 09
operations and lean deployment at Hess. “I then joined the Modumetal board in 2019 to help the company understand and navigate the oil and gas industry. After being introduced to the Modumetal technology, I was convinced that it was industry-disrupting. “Working in offshore oil and gas, and seeing the impact of corrosion on facilities and process safety, I was convinced that this was a game-changing technology. We worked with the technical authorities at most major energy companies, and they provided us with direction on lab test standards, field trial criteria, and ultimately specifications that included our nanolamination technology. “We have been installed in offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, offshore Australia and offshore Middle East for more than six years with no red rust. Our technology works!”
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NanoGalv® Fasteners NanoGalv® is a zinc-nickel nanolaminate applied to carbon steel alloys that provides distinct corrosion resistance, durability and wear performance under harsh conditions. This product has been extensively field trialed in offshore platforms and is used in both onshore and offshore facilities.
Nanolayers impedes the path of corrosion to create unprecedented performance in environmental resistance and durability
Rust >1.5 Years
The Complete Solution
For All Your Bolting Requirements
Rollstud Limited are proud to be the first European license holder for the application of Nanogalv and are industry leaders in the manufacture, distribution and coating of all types of bolting and fasteners in all grades of material. We are committed to quality at every step – our aim is to provide a quality product, at a competitive price, whilst every time delivering exemplary customer service.
Rollstud Limited Unit 1,2,5, 6 & 7 Denmore Industrial Estate Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB23 8JW
www.rollstud.com
Company Overview
Metal Microstructure
Proprietary Chemistry
Waveform Modulation
Nanolaminated Products
Modumetal Patented Technology 1
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invertor covers, stamped metal components, and more. Oil and gas customers have also requested that the company move to other troubling areas in which they struggle to manage corrosion, such as offshore walkway grating and subsurface pump parts. “Since Modumetal’s technology offers a much longer lifecycle, customers don’t experience unplanned downtime or have to purchase replacements parts, and cars and trucks stay on the road for longer before being replaced. We believe this has a true ripple effect on the environment and sustainability,” says Creech. It is Modumetal’s values that guide its culture of innovation and sustainability, the latter of which is viewed as a responsibility of the company and an essential feature of its business strategy. 8 | North America Outlook issue 09
“ O U R T E C H N O LO GY E XC E E D S T H E P E R F O R M A N C E L I M I TAT I O N S O F M AT E R I A L S T O D AY, AT A C O S T T H AT I S C O M P E T I T I V E W I T H C O N V E N T I O N A L M E TA L S ” – D E N N I S C R E E C H , P R E S I D E N T A N D C E O , M O D U M E TA L
Sustainability is integral to everything Modumetal does, representing an investment in society, the environment, and the long-term future of the company. “It is a priority for us to innovate – to offer technology that lowers carbon intensity and improves our operational efficiency to reduce emissions,” Creech informs us. “Technological innovation and our people are key to creating sustainable processes and products that will improve the lives of future generations and ensure a cleaner planet for us all.
“At Modumetal, we collaborate both internally and externally to develop novel ideas based on the perspectives of others that harness this innovation. We look forward to helping customers to solve their corrosion challenges in an environmentally sustainable manner.”
LICENSE TO INNOVATE Partnerships are critical to the success of Modumetal’s technology. Working with chemical providers, applicators to license the technology, and distributors to get products to the end
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customers, Modumetal views partners as an extension of the business and a competitive advantage for the company. These relationships allow for a free flow of feedback and ideas which, over time, creates a more streamlined, effective supply chain that has a positive impact on costs, availability and customer service. One such partner is Tri-Star Industries, a leading global manufacturer and supplier of fastening solutions designed for oil and gas, power and petrochemical applications. The group’s Fasteners of Singapore division was the first licensed manufacturer of Modumetal’s NanoGalv® fastener coating, and the first supplier of NanoGalv® coated fasteners in Asia and Australia as it continues to grow its regional presence.
The technology has also been licensed to Rollstud, an industry leader in the manufacture, distribution and coating of all types of fasteners. Based in Aberdeen, Rollstud is committed to providing quality products at a competitive price, while delivering exceptional customer service. “Modumetal will grow by licensing our innovative technology to steel producers, traditional electroplaters, and early adopters,” Creech shares. “In addition to our supply chain and applicator partners, we also work with customers to jointly develop our technology to solve some of their key challenges. “When developing a new technology, we take the critical steps needed to ensure our process can be applied consistently across licensees so that end users can be confident in
the product they are receiving.” Modumetal’s staff, driven to produce the highest quality products and technologies, are duty bound to flag up any safety or quality concerns on the job. As well as having company-wide priorities, Modumetal also formulates individual performance targets and goals for each employee, in order to meet or beat customer expectations and help to build the business together. It’s clear that Modumetal has created a high-performance, resultsdriven culture amongst staff, who are committed to making a difference through world class products and services. “For anyone looking to make a difference in the future of metals, please reach out as we have plenty of opportunities to join the team!”
Tel: +1-346-388-4399 info@modumetal.com www.Modumetal.com North America Outlook issue 09 | 9
MODUMETAL 20124 Broadway Avenue, Building A – Snohomish, WA 98296 Tel: +1-346-388-4399 info@modumetal.com www.Modumetal.com
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