PRESS RELEASE – Hollow Bar co-operation with Sandvik

Sandvik and Langley Alloys Ltd to develop the UK market for duplex and super duplex hollow bar

Sandvik (Sandvik Materials Technology) has appointed Langley Alloys as its preferred partner for the distribution of duplex and super duplex stainless steel hollow bars in the UK.

The companies have been partners in the UK market since September 2017, initially focusing on the distribution of duplex and super duplex solid bars. However, the success of that arrangement means extending it to include hollow bars is a logical progression.

Sandvik has an unrivalled capability in the development and manufacture of hollow bars. By using hollow bars instead of solid bars, machine shops can increase their productivity by reducing the amount of machining steps necessary. This gain is increased when combined with the latest generation of high machinability Sanmac® 2205 stainless steels, which help to reduce tool wear and increase cutting speeds, resulting in significant cost reductions per produced item. The Sanmac® alloy specification carefully controls the non-metallic inclusions; sulphides encourage easier machining whilst oxide inclusions improve chip breaking.

Langley Alloys has long been known as ‘The Home of Super Duplex Alloys’, having developed the original high-strength super duplex Ferralium® in the 1960’s, the only super duplex that achieves 85ksi yield strengths. Sandvik SAF 2507 ® super duplex and Sanmac® 2205 duplex are offered alongside Alloy 32760, to give the most complete ex-stock offering of this alloy family available.

Stephen Cowen, Senior Sales Manager for Sandvik said “We continuously seek opportunities to improve our order book mix. The cost and productivity benefits seen with hollow bar should be even greater with higher-performance alloys, due to their increased value and more challenging machinability. However, the market has been slower to adopt hollow bar solutions in duplex and super duplex stainless steels. Langley Alloys’ long history in developing sales of special alloys provides a great chance to engage these same customers – and open up new markets.”

Chris Halliday, MD of Langley Alloys Ltd added “Our existing partnership with Sandvik has been a positive experience and reinforced our standing as The Home of Super Duplex Alloys. Getting closer to Sandvik has allowed us to unlock opportunities for end users, combining our respective knowledge of the products, processes and markets. We will work with our customers to optimise their machining process, utilising Sandvik alloys in solid bar and hollow bar forms, along with our in-house deep hole boring capability to bridge the gap.”

Sandvik SAF 2507 ® and Sanmac ® are registered trademarks of Sandvik Intellectual Property AB.

Ferralium is a registered trademark of Langley Alloys Ltd.

Langley Alloys Ltd, 10^th September 2018

For further information contact Rodney Rice – Business Development Director, Langley Alloys.  +44 (0)1782 610250   /      rodney.rice@langleyalloys.com