Useful information

Here you’ll find an easy-access resource in Q&A format to quickly find top-line information on Nicofe, our services and some of our products.

About Nicofe

  • Q   What does Nicofe do?
  • A   We’re a top European supplier of premium quality refractory metals and alloys, soft magnetic alloys, and controlled expansion alloys.

 

  • Q   What’s special about the materials you supply?
  • A   We work with a global network of trusted suppliers to deliver materials that are often difficult to source, are UK-certified, have assured provenance and full chain custody.

 

  • Q   Your materials are top quality but are your prices expensive?
  • A   The relationship we have with our suppliers and our stocking capabilities mean we can negotiate good prices and buy in volume. It also means our service is smooth and reliable. We are particularly competitive on medium size orders, where we can normally offer mill prices.

 

  • Q   What are the main markets for your materials?
  • A   We supply industry leaders in sectors such as aerospace, defence, electronics and automotive. Our materials are often used in cutting-edge applications like space satellites, drones, radioactive shielding, F1 cars and infrared cameras.

 

  • Q   Why should customers trust you and what are your credentials?
  • A   We’re committed to continuous improvement and believe that professional accreditations are at the heart of best practice. We are AS9120 certified, Green Mark level 1 accredited, JOSCAR accredited and Cyber Essentials certified. These awards provide our customers with assurances of competence and integrity.

 

  • Q As manufacturing challenges become increasingly complex, how are you helping your customers stay ahead?
  • A We collaborate with academic and scientific institutions including the University of Plymouth, the University of Bath and ThermoFisher Scientific to develop solutions to some of the industry’s most pressing issues.

 

Our products

  • Q   What formats and sizes are your materials available in?
  • A   Our materials are available in various forms such as bar, rod, sheet, plate, strip, and wire in a wide variety of different gauges, widths, lengths and conditions to satisfy almost any requirement.

 

  • Q   What’s your most popular soft magnetic alloy?
  • A   The versatile iron-cobalt-vanadium alloy Hiperco 50A is the performance product of choice for customers in the aerospace, medical and electrical component manufacturing sectors. Its magnetic qualities make it an ideal component in various types of motors, transformers and generators.

 

  • Q   What are the stand-out qualities of Super Invar?
  • A   The low expansion alloy Super Invar is composed of nickel, cobalt and iron – and it’s always in demand. With ultra-low thermal expansion properties, the material can maintain consistency of shape, size and form over a large temperature range. It’s ideal for high-precision applications in aerospace and aviation, precision measuring in the lab, and in laser and optical components in the electronics sector.

 

  • Q   What material would you recommend using when metal needs to be bonded to glass?
  • A   Kovar is a controlled expansion alloy made of iron, nickel and cobalt. It expands and contracts at a similar rate to glass and ceramic and is ideal for hermetic or vacuum sealing, especially when glass needs to be bonded to metal. It’s a popular material in the electronics and aerospace sectors, and in scientific laboratory work.

 

  • Q What are your most commonly requested controlled expansion alloys?
  • A Our most popular controlled expansion alloys include Kovar, Alloy 52, Alloy 48, Alloy 42, Invar 36, Super Invar 32-5, Nickel 200, Nickel 201, Nickel 205, Nickel 233 and Nickel 270.

 

  • Q What are your most commonly requested refractory metals and alloys?
  • A Our most popular refractory metals and alloys include Molybdenum, TZM Molybdenum, Tantalum, Niobium, Tungsten and Rhenium.

 

  • Q What are your most commonly requested soft magnetic alloys?
  • A Our most popular soft magnetic alloys include ASTM A753 Type 4, ASTM A753 Type 3, ASTM A753 Type 2, ASTM A753 Type 1 – Radiometal 4550, Hiperco 50, Hiperco 50A, ASTM A848 Type 1 – Vim Var Core Iron, ASTM A848 Type 1 – Soft Magnetic Iron.

 

  • Q What materials are most popular in short rod format?
  • A In our experience, materials such as Hiperco, Invar, Molybdenum and Tungsten are always in demand in short rod format.

 

  • Q What are some of the most common uses for short metallic rods?
  • A Short metallic rods are used in a wide variety of applications including torquer rods, locating pins, optical stands for breadboards, LVDT probes and many more.

 

Our services

  • Q   What stocking and warehousing facilities do you have?
  • A   We have a large warehouse fitted with contemporary racking for storing all material formats. With an ongoing programme of procurement from trusted partners across Europe and Asia, our customers rely on us for materials that are often in short supply elsewhere.

 

  • Q   What services can you offer customers who want their materials pre-machined?
  • A   Our fully equipped workshop ensures we can meet almost any machining requirement and tailor-make for each specific job. The workshop features a range of equipment from lathes, saws and guillotines to coiling gear. We also have a dedicated technical lab housing sophisticated metrology equipment.

 

  • Q   Are you able to offer customers reliable advice on the materials you sell?
  • A   We have a simple mantra – if we don’t understand a how a product is manufactured and how it will perform in-situ, we won’t sell it. Our team has over 100 years cumulative experience in metallurgy and is always on hand to advise customers on how to ensure their materials perform in the most efficient and effective way. We have a reputation for providing the best technical advice in the business.

 

  • Q   Do you offer any other added-value services?
  • A   We often partner with other organisations to consult on some of the challenges facing our sector – for example navigating new legislation or developing solutions to replacing obsolescent components. We share developments with our customers to help them work smarter.

 

  • Q Do you offer heat treatments for materials before they are shipped?
  • A We offer specific heat treatments for different materials as we know that these treatments can significantly enhance magnetic performance, particularly, for example, with torquer rods.

 

  • Q How does heat treatment improve torquer rod performance?
  • A Machining can cause grain disruption in the materials but when we heat treat it helps the grains to recover their structure and this greatly improves magnetic performance.

 

  • Q How do you ensure the straightness and roundness of short metallic rods for high precision applications?
  • A Our analysis of materials frequently shows variations and imperfections. Precison machining in our fully equipped workshop improves straightness and roundness before shipping and eliminates many of the surface imperfections to significantly improve performance.

 

  • Q How can you be sure that materials sourced from different suppliers display the same performance characteristics?
  • A We partner with leading academic and scientific organisations to analyse and test the materials we sell to ensure they meet quality and performance expectations.

 

  • Q How are you helping your customers find marginal gains in their manufacturing operations?
  • A With a strong, fully certified supply chain, extensive warehousing and comprehensively appointed workshop, we’re able to deliver premium quality, precision machined materials and net shapes, ready to use. This saves our customers non-revenue generating machine time, eliminates the need for outsourced processing and supports greater sustainability. Customers report a minimum 10% improvement in operational efficiency.