2080 – 01 – What are Exotic Alloys?

Even though about 75% of all machining requires ferrous metals, there are a few specific applications that require metals with unique properties. The medical industry, for example, needs materials that can be made into implants capable of withstanding the corrosive conditions in the human body without triggering an adverse reaction.

For these sorts of special applications, parts have highly specialized features, and therefore are likely an exotic metal or a superalloy. These alloys are usually complex, expensive, and hard to fabricate, but their unique properties enable them to do well under stressful conditions.