Lighteum Medical appoints Gaurav Agarwal as CEO

Lighteum Medical, San Diego, California, a manufacturer of precision medical components including high-complexity nitinol-based solutions, appointed Gaurav Agarwal as chief executive officer.

Agarwal has nearly 30 years of leadership experience across medical devices, diagnostics, and healthcare technology, including involvement in more than $15 billion in M&A transactions and $11 billion in private equity dispositions. He most recently served as president and CEO of Capsa Healthcare, where the company delivered more than 20% revenue and EBITDA growth in 18 months and completed two tuck-in acquisitions. He previously served as president and CEO of Vyaire Medical and held senior positions at Acelity/KCI, Smith & Nephew, and GE Healthcare. At Acelity/KCI, he led global commercial roles during the company’s $6.725 billion sale to 3M.

“Gaurav is an accomplished medtech leader and proven growth-oriented operator with a track record of building high-performing organizations and driving results,” said Gregory T. Lucier, chairman of the board.

“I am excited to join Lighteum Medical and advance our mission of providing precision-engineered solutions that enable life-enhancing, minimally invasive medical devices,” said Agarwal.

Lighteum Medical, a Montagu portfolio company, was formed by combining Medical Device Components LLC and Lighteum LLC. The company specializes in platinum group metals and nitinol components and applies expertise in metallurgy, micromachining, femtosecond laser processing, shape setting, and electropolishing. It operates manufacturing centers in San Diego and Oceanside, California; Mexicali, Mexico; and Tullamarine, Australia.

Read further here: https://qmed.com/lighteum-medical-appoints-gaurav-agarwal-as-chief-news129923.html

Axel Johnson Inc. takes full ownership of Fort Wayne Metals

Axel Johnson Inc. (AJI), New York, acquired full ownership of Fort Wayne Metals Research Products LLC, Fort Wayne, Indiana, from the Glaze family. AJI first invested in the company in 2021.

Founded in 1970, Fort Wayne Metals develops and manufactures high-performance precision materials for medical devices and other critical applications, supporting millions of medical procedures each year. The company will remain headquartered in Fort Wayne, where it has operated for more than 50 years.

Jeremy Rohrs continues as president and CEO of Fort Wayne Metals.

“Today marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Fort Wayne Metals and AJI,” said Sara Greenstein, CEO, Axel Johnson Inc.

“This milestone represents an exciting opportunity for our employees, customers, and partners,” said Rohrs.

The transition completes a partnership that began five years ago and places Fort Wayne Metals fully within AJI’s portfolio of long-term holdings. AJI, founded in 1920 and headquartered in New York City, is a family-owned investment company that builds businesses through long-term ownership partnerships. It employs more than 5,500 people and is part of the Axel Johnson Group, which has about 40,000 employees.

Fort Wayne Metals is a supplier of precision wire and materials to the medical device industry, with a long history of innovation and quality in materials for medical and industrial applications.

Read further here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260701588723/en/Fort-Wayne-Metals-Joins-Axel-Johnson-Inc.-in-Full-Ownership-Transition

Pressio Spine completes first cases with nitinol compression staple

Pressio Spine announced the successful completion of the first surgical cases using its Continuum compression staple, a superelastic nitinol fixation system for single-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF).

The Continuum staple is engineered to provide continuous compression across the fusion site. It uses an in-line spinal positioning design with a streamlined placement technique and is supplied as a fully sterile, single-use instrument kit.

The initial cases were performed by Dr. Daniel Leas of Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine Associates.

“The nitinol compression is doing real work immediately,” said Leas. “I don’t have to think about screw angles or trajectories or multi-step fixation protocols.”

Conventional anterior cervical fixation typically relies on plates and screws placed in multiple steps. Pressio Spine positions Continuum as an alternative in which the superelastic nitinol actively maintains load on the graft after placement.

“Continuum changes that entirely,” said Kent Ellington, CEO, Pressio Spine. “The nitinol compression is actively working, continuously supporting the fusion site.”

The staple is designed for use alongside the company’s Tidal cervical fusion cage, a 3D-printed titanium cage with 80% porosity and a threaded design for rotational stability.

Pressio Spine develops spine surgery technologies intended to bridge clinical potential and patient outcomes in modern operating environments.

Read further here: https://www.financialcontent.com/article/bizwire-2026-9-15-pressio-spine-announces-successful-completion-of-initial-continuum-cases

Quasar Medical acquires Nitinol Design and Development Center in San Diego

Quasar Medical, a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for minimally invasive medical devices, acquired the Nitinol Design and Development Center in San Diego, California, from Medres International.

The 10,000-sq-ft center, established in 2024, provides nitinol design, development, process engineering, and precision manufacturing for minimally invasive devices. Its capabilities include laser cutting, shape setting, and electropolishing. The acquisition brings dedicated nitinol operations and engineering staff to Quasar and adds design, prototyping, and process optimization capabilities.

The center is about an hour’s drive from Quasar’s facility in Tecate, Mexico, and will have access to the company’s global manufacturing network of 11 locations. Integration will be overseen by Christine Trepanier, senior vice president of technology at Quasar Medical, with Tom Duerig, who introduced nitinol to medical devices as founder of NDC, serving as senior advisor.

“Nitinol is a foundational technology for many of today’s most advanced devices, both in minimally invasive disposables and implantables,” said Alex Wallstein, CEO, Quasar Medical. “This is a significant upgrade of Quasar to a whole new level of expertise.”

“We are confident that under the stewardship of Quasar, the Nitinol Center in San Diego will thrive with dramatically increased resources and customer reach to achieve its full potential,” said Dr. Chris Cheng, CEO and chairman, Medres International.

Quasar Medical has more than 38 years of experience, about 5,000 employees, and 11 locations. The ISO 13485:2016-certified company supplies catheters, balloons, steerable systems, nitinol technologies, electromagnetic sensors, and complex assemblies.

Read further here: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/quasar-medical-acquires-nitinol-design-and-development-center-302839603.html

Can-Eng to supply walking beam austenitizing furnace for wear-resistant plate

Can-Eng Furnaces International, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, was awarded a contract to design and supply a high-temperature plate processing austenitizing furnace system. The system will produce critical wear components used in ground-engaging equipment that operates in severe service conditions. The customer was not named.

Austenitizing is the high-temperature step that precedes quenching when hardening steel. The new system is designed to provide precise temperature control, metallurgical consistency, and production capacity for heavy-duty applications.

The furnace uses an air-cooled walking beam design that allows waste heat to be recovered and used as part of the building’s heating system. Engineered to accommodate plates up to 8 ft (2.44 m) wide, the walking beam configuration minimizes product distortion while providing reliable material handling throughout the heat treatment cycle.

Thermal input is supplied by direct-fired, auto-recuperative burners, which provide efficient heat transfer while reducing fuel consumption. Furnace combustion, process control, and walking beam motion are integrated through a Siemens S7-1500F programmable logic controller.

Can-Eng has more than 60 years of experience designing and manufacturing walking beam furnace systems for customers worldwide. The ISO 9001:2015-certified company supplies thermal processing systems for steel, aluminum, and other metals.

Read further here: https://www.can-eng.com/news/can-eng-has-been-awarded-a-contract-to-design-and-supply-a-high-temperature-plate-processing-austenitizing-furnace-system

Aichelin supplies vacuum heat treatment system to Turkish tool steel producer

Aichelin, Mödling, Austria, delivered, installed, and commissioned a vacuum heat treatment system for Ayhan Takım Çelik A.Ş., a Türkiye-based provider of tool steels and technical materials. The investment expands the customer’s heat treatment capabilities for premium tool steels, particularly for demanding aluminum extrusion and die-casting applications.

The installation consists of a vacuum gas-quenching furnace with 10-bar nitrogen quenching and a vacuum tempering furnace. It handles batch weights of up to 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) and combines oxidation-free heat treatment with precise temperature control, providing good surface quality and highly reproducible process results.

Following commissioning and final acceptance, the system has been fully integrated into the customer’s production environment. The two companies worked together through the engineering, manufacturing, installation, and startup phases.

“The new Aichelin system offers the precision and reliability we need,” said Ayhan Dere, CEO, Ayhan Takım Çelik. The company continuously invests in technologies that strengthen production capacity, meet high quality standards, and support its long-term growth strategy.

Andaç Güzel, director, AICHELIN ST Vakum Fırınları A.Ş., said the project combines proven vacuum technology with process reliability and energy efficiency.

The Aichelin Group designs and builds industrial furnace systems for the heat treatment of metals and supplies vacuum heat treatment solutions for high-performance tool steels to customers worldwide.

Read further here: https://prozesswaerme.net/stahl/aichelin-liefert-leistungsstarke-vakuum-waermebehandlungsanlage-an-ayhan-takim-celik/

Hiperbaric supplies Spain’s first domestically built HIP system to TTT Group

Hiperbaric, Burgos, Spain, will supply TTT Group, a Spanish provider of heat treatment and surface coating services, with a Hiperbaric HIP 107 hot isostatic pressing system. It is the first HIP system built with Spanish technology to be sold in Spain, and it will allow TTT to launch a new HIP business unit serving the aerospace, defense, energy, and oil and gas sectors.

The HIP 107 post-processes critical metal components, particularly castings and additively manufactured parts, to eliminate internal porosity and improve fatigue life, ductility, and other mechanical properties. It operates at pressures up to 2,000 bar (29,000 psi) and temperatures up to 1,400°C (2,550°F), with an option to reach 2,000°C (3,630°F). Its Fast Cooling technology combines heat treatment and material consolidation in a single step, reducing energy costs and cycle times.

“We are immensely proud that our first HIP system installed in Spain is being deployed by a leader like TTT Group,” said Andrés Hernando, CEO, Hiperbaric.

“This operation represents the largest investment in our company’s 65-year history,” said Xabier Berasategi, CEO, TTT Group. “With this equipment, we not only eliminate microscopic internal pores in mechanical parts to ensure their extreme fatigue resistance, but we also provide the market with a comprehensive competitive advantage: heat treatments and HIP densification under one roof.”

The order follows Hiperbaric’s sale of its first HIP system to Plus Metal, Taiwan, last year. Founded in 1999, Hiperbaric designs and manufactures high-pressure processing equipment for the food and beverage industry, HIP systems for industrial components, and high-pressure hydrogen compression systems. It also operates the first HIP Innovation Center in Southern Europe.

Read further here: https://www.hiperbaric.com/en/hiperbaric-suministra-primer-equipo-hip-en-espana-a-la-guipuzcoana-ttt-group-nueva-unidad-de-negocio/

SECO/WARWICK supplies second vacuum furnace to Chinese turbine component maker

SECO/WARWICK, Świebodzin, Poland, received a repeat order for a Vector single-chamber vacuum furnace from a Chinese manufacturer of gas turbine and aircraft engine components. The furnace will heat treat turbine blades made from high-temperature alloys.

The order follows a vacuum furnace with a graphite hot zone that SECO/WARWICK delivered to the same customer in 2023. Based on that unit’s performance, the customer ordered a more technically demanding version for its turbine blade work.

The customer’s process required capabilities beyond the standard Vector configuration: gas cooling at up to 12 bar instead of the standard 10 bar, and temperature uniformity of ±3°C (±5.4°F) instead of ±5°C (±9°F). The furnace operates at temperatures up to 1,400°C (2,550°F), handles a maximum gross load of 600 kg (1,300 lb), and maintains vacuum levels of 10⁻³ Pa to minimize oxidation. It uses an all-metal hot zone rather than graphite, which the company notes is particularly important in processes that require a highly clean environment.

“In this project, the key was to combine two things: the proven design of the Vector vacuum furnace and a very specific adaptation to the customer’s process,” said Maciej Korecki, vice president of the vacuum segment, SECO/WARWICK Group.

Pan Gaojun, managing director, SECO/WARWICK China, said, “The first unit we delivered to this partner proved its value in everyday production. That is why the order was repeated.”

SECO/WARWICK Group designs and manufactures vacuum, atmosphere, and aluminum heat treatment furnaces and vacuum metallurgy equipment, with operations in Poland, the U.S., China, and India.

Read further here: https://www.secowarwick.com/en/news/another-vector-for-turbines/

Detecting ultra-low sulfur levels in superalloys

LECO Corporation, St. Joseph, Mich., has demonstrated how its CS844ES elemental analyzer enables accurate determination of sulfur at levels as low as 0.1 µg in steel, nickel, and superalloys, extending the combustion technique to sensitivities previously unachievable

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Testing metallic glass on the ISS

Researchers Saarland University (Saarbrücken, Germany), are studying metallic-glass alloys in experiments carried out on board the International Space Station (ISS). Working with the European Space Agency and the German Aerospace Center, in the fall of 2026, the team will investigate the properties of these alloys using hot, levitating droplets.

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Better metals are now possible through a novel analysis method

In a new study, researchers from Yale University (New Haven, Conn.) show that a mold about half the size of a fingernail could lead to the development of stronger, higher-performing materials for airplanes and other uses. Their novel method provides unique insight into the microstructure and properties of a metal and eliminates the limitations of more traditional analysis.

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Bodycote opens new heat treatment facility in Monterrey, Mexico

Bodycote, Macclesfield, England, plans to open a new heat treatment facility in Apodaca, in the Monterrey metropolitan area of Mexico. The new site will expand Bodycote’s North American footprint and provide additional regional capacity to support customers across Mexico and the southern United States, helping reduce logistics complexity and strengthen supply-chain resilience for OEMs and tier suppliers operating in the region’s automotive, aerospace, and industrial markets. The Apodaca facility will offer precision heat treatment capabilities including case hardening and nitriding processes such as carburizing, carbonitriding, and nitrocarburizing, technologies widely used to improve wear resistance, fatigue performance, and dimensional stability in critical drivetrain, gearing, and structural components. The new site complements Bodycote’s existing North American network and reflects continued investment by the group in geographic capacity expansion and customer-proximate service. Bodycote is the world’s largest provider of heat treatment and specialist thermal processing services, operating more than 165 facilities across 22 countries with capabilities spanning vacuum heat treatment, hot isostatic pressing, surface engineering, and advanced thermal processing technologies. The company serves a broad customer base across aerospace, automotive, defense, energy, medical, and general industrial markets, and continues to invest in both new geographies and decarbonized process technologies to support its customers’ performance and sustainability goals.

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Constellium signs multi-year aluminum extrusions agreement with Airbus

Constellium, Issoire, France, announced a multi-year agreement with Airbus for the supply of aluminum alloy extrusions, reinforcing the company’s role as a long-term supplier of advanced aluminum solutions to the European airframer’s commercial and defense programs. Under the agreement, Constellium will provide Airbus with bars and a range of small and large extrusions manufactured in advanced aluminum alloys, including the company’s proprietary aluminum-lithium solution Airware®, all engineered to meet stringent quality requirements and optimized for the strength-to-weight performance demanded by aircraft structural applications. The extrusions will be produced at Constellium’s Issoire and Montreuil-Juigné facilities in France. “This agreement reflects Airbus’ trust in our advanced aluminum products and solutions, and in our quality performance, industrial reliability, and consistent supply continuity to support long-term aerospace programs,” said Philippe Hoffmann, president of Constellium’s Aerospace and Transportation business unit. “We are committed to continuing to grow our outstanding relationship with Airbus, leveraging our comprehensive product portfolio, proprietary solutions, unique manufacturing capabilities, and recycling expertise.” Constellium is a leading supplier of advanced aluminum products and solutions to the global aircraft, defense, and space markets, with proven industrial and recycling capabilities and an extensive portfolio of high-performance alloys, including the heat-treatable Airware® family used in next-generation airframe structures.

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HP accelerates AM adoption with new materials and collaborations

HP Inc., Palo Alto, Calif., drives additive manufacturing adoption through portfolio expansion, new material innovations, and global collaborations—including its partnership with GKN Powder Metallurgy, Cincinnati, Ohio, to expand copper applications using HP Metal Jet technology for cloud computing, electrification, and thermal management.

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Observing gold’s atomic structure change at extreme pressures

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and their collaborators conducted experiments with gold to learn more about the unexpected structures and properties it would adopt under high pressure. The results, which show gold switching structure at 10 million times the Earth’s atmospheric pressure, are essential for planetary modeling and fusion science.

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Diamond exhibits surprising nanoscopic heat traps

New research shows that diamond—although known for being the best natural heat conductor on Earth—at the atomic scale it can briefly trap heat in unexpected ways. The findings could influence how scientists design diamond-based quantum technologies, including ultra-precise sensors and future quantum computers.

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Electron microscopy reveals new process for developing exotic metal alloys

Researchers from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have discovered a new way to produce high-entropy alloys (HEAs), at near-room temperatures. Their technique gives users much more control of the alloy’s crystal structure and overall morphology compared with existing methods, opening the door for a new paradigm of custom-made HEAs.

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Amatanweze confirms new methods to reduce steel defects

When producing ultra-strong steel parts for vehicles, military gear, and heavy manufacturing, even minor cracks or distortions during heat treatment can cause significant delays and material waste. Dr. Kingsley Amatanweze, a recent Ph.D. graduate from the Missouri University of Science and Technology, has developed new methods to reduce these costly issues by improving the induction melting, pouring, and cooling processes of steel.

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Strange behavior in ultra-thin materials

Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, led by Ph.D. student Nofar Fridman and Prof. Yonathan Anahory, have discovered unexpected behavior in superconductivity within extremely thin materials. Superconductors, which allow electric current to flow without resistance, typically exhibit predictable changes when thinned. However, the team found surprising results when studying thin films of niobium diselenide (NbSe2), a layered superconducting material. Using advanced magnetic imaging techniques, they measured the material’s response to magnetic fields as its thickness decreased, revealing new insights into superconductivity at the nanoscale.

Typically, scientists expect the ability of a superconducting material to expel magnetic fields to become stronger as the material becomes thicker. Here, this length is gauged by a physical property called the Pearl length. This study confirmed that rule for samples thicker than ten atomic layers. However, when the films became extremely thin—just three to six layers (2-4 nm) —the researchers observed something unexpected: the Pearl length sharply increased and became thickness independent, breaking the expected pattern.

“Our findings reveal something completely unexpected that could be ubiquitous in superconducting materials,” explained Nofar Fridman, the Ph.D. student leading the study. “In very thin samples, superconductivity behaves differently from what we’ve known. It seems that below a certain thickness, superconductors host current mostly at their top and bottom surfaces, rather than throughout their volume. This finding opens up exciting new questions about superconductivity in ultra-thin materials.”

The team’s supervisor, Prof. Yonathan Anahory, emphasized the importance of their method, saying, “Our high-resolution magnetic imaging allowed us to see details that previous methods couldn’t detect. By finding this unique surface superconductivity, we’ve expanded our understanding of how superconducting materials behave at extremely small scales. This could have significant implications for future research and technologies.”

This discovery sheds new light on superconductivity in very thin films and challenges previously held theories. It also highlights how specialized measurement techniques can uncover surprising new physical phenomena, potentially opening avenues for innovative applications in quantum technology.

For more information: Nature Communications

Image: A schematic illustration of the experimental setup shows a scanning magnetic microscope positioned above two different samples. One sample exhibits only surface superconductivity, while the other displays conventional superconductivity.

Reducing TOPCon solar cell degradation via copper plating

Researchers at the University of New South Wales, Australia, have created a protective barrier on the front silver grid of a TOPCon solar cell using a 1 µm copper plating layer, which reduces corrosion susceptibility and significantly lowers contaminant-induced degradation compared to unprotected reference devices.

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Tailoring material properties with exquisite precision

Penn State researchers have discovered that “atomic spray painting” of potassium niobate can precisely manipulate a material’s properties by altering its atomic arrangement, potentially leading to environmentally friendly innovations in consumer electronics, medical devices, and quantum computing.

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