5100 Convair Drive
Carson City, NV 89706
Telephone: (775) 841-7112
Fax: (775) 841-7117
E-mail: MC21DED@worldnet.att.net
Company Profile
MC-21, Inc. (Metallic Composites for the 21st Century) was founded in 1994 with the goal of
reducing the cost of metal matrix composite (MMC) material production. In MC-21's stir-casting
approach, the desired aluminum alloy is melted, and carefully sized ceramic (silicon carbide or
aluminum oxide) particles are stirred in by means of an efficient vacuum-assisted mixing process.
The process allows good wetting and a very strong bond between the ceramic particles and
aluminum matrix and uses inexpensive raw materials. The equipment is flexible, relatively
inexpensive, and allows the production of a broad range of MMCs containing a variety of types
and volume fractions of ceramic particulate and of aluminum alloy matrices.
Technology
The shortened time of MC-21's new stirring cycle allows relatively small-size equipment to
produce large volumes of MMC. This enables the MMC production process to be modularized
for installation at licensed user sites, such as large foundries. The production equipment can be
sized for a specific product line and be installed right in the foundry. This concept eliminates the
need to remelt MMC ingots before casting and thereby reduces the cost to produce MMC parts.
Products
MC-21 sells metal matrix composite (MMC) materials in the form of rolled sheet containing 20 vol % SiC or 30 vol. %
SiC, die-cast parts, and
foundry ingot.
Finished parts can be stamped from MC-21's rolled sheet using existing stamping technology.
A roll-caster, which is being constructed in-house, will convert molten MMC into coiled sheet,
the standard feedstock for the stamping industry. MC-21 produces rolled sheet containing up to
30 volume percent silicon carbide.
For parts not appropriate for stamping or requiring greater than 30 volume percent silicon
carbide, MC-21 sells die-cast parts.
MC-21 produces MMC foundry ingot containing silicon carbide in volume fractions ranging
from 10% to 40%. The matrix aluminum alloy can be adjusted to meet the requirements of
specific applications and fabrication methods.
Principals
The principals of MC-21 are Dr. David M. Schuster and Dr. Michael D. Skibo. Both are Ph.D.
materials scientists with extensive experience in advanced, high performance materials. They are
the inventors of the only low-cost, large-scale commercial stir-casting process for manufacturing
MMCs which is in operation today. Drs. Schuster and Skibo have now developed a new modular
process to produce better quality MMC at even lower costs. MC-21 has issued and pending
patents on this new process which is available for licensing.
Please E-mail us.