Founded by John W. Graham in 1961, Astro Met began as a Cincinnati contract developer of advanced materials for industrial customers and government agencies, with its first two years funded by NASA space-propulsion research. Today, the company turns that materials-development heritage into precision ceramic components for demanding customer applications, working in both prototype and production quantities.
Powdermet IncFounded in 1996 by Andrew Sherman as a spinout of Ultramet, Powdermet develops advanced metal and ceramic materials and manufactures engineered powders for clients from its Euclid, Ohio facility. The 20-plus-person company combines contract research and toll processing with a proprietary base of powder-metallurgy and ceramic-processing technologies, helping move materials from laboratory concepts into pilot production and commercial products. Powdermet has also won more than 80 government-sponsored grants and has received recognition including an R&D 100 Award and repeated Inc. 5000 listings.EUCLID, OH
Surmet CorpFounded in 1982, Surmet Corp. develops and manufactures advanced material components, with a particular focus on transparent optical ceramics such as ALON® and Spinel for aerospace, defense and semiconductor applications. The company operates more than 100,000 square feet across three locations and is the only company globally identified on its site as manufacturing ALON®, while its Buffalo facility produces aluminum nitride powder in tonnage quantities. Surmet’s quality management system is certified to ISO 9001:2015.BUFFALO, NY
INSACO IncSince 1947, Quakertown-based INSACO has precision-machined and polished technical ceramics, sapphire, glass, and quartz for demanding applications. Founded as Industrial Sapphire Specialties making phonograph needles, the company later produced sapphire cover plates for the first Telstar satellite and now works from a plant spanning more than 50,000 square feet. INSACO measures and documents parts to tolerances sometimes reaching millionths of an inch, with experience ranging from prototypes to automated production.QUAKERTOWN, PA
GBC Advanced MaterialsGBC Advanced Materials grew from Glass Beads Corporation, which began making pressed-glass components decades ago in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Today, it serves demanding manufacturers with precision ceramic and glass components, operating from a 50,000-square-foot U.S. facility that supports work ranging from prototypes to high-volume production.LATROBE, PA