Company Overview

Powdermet is a nationally recognized nanotechnology and advanced materials research and development organization. This 20+ person firm was founded by Andrew Sherman, who started Powdermet as a spin-out of Ultramet, Inc., in 1996. Powdermet develops, matures, and transitions breakthrough materials innovations that enable reduced weight, resource consumption, environmental footprint and life-cycle costs, while increasing energy-efficiency based on value-creation gained through engineered nano-scale features and hierarchically structures of metal and/or ceramic phases in a structure. Powdermet has an extensive proprietary technology base and application data in materials compositions, structures, and manufacturing processes incorporating nano-scale and submicron features into engineering materials through powder metallurgy and ceramic processing techniques.

Powdermet has primarily financed their development and manufacturing operations by winning over 80 government sponsored grants, as well as manufacturing and selling nanoengineered products to multinational companies that white label Powdermet’s manufactured powders. They have also excelled at generating additional revenue and societal impact by commercializing technologies through:

  • licensing (licensing of ToolMet™ nanocomposite hard metals and production technology to Kennametal);
  • spinning out new technology companies (aka, MesoCoat, Inc., formed to commercialize PComP™ nanocomposite cermet chrome alternatives), and now a subsidiary of Abakan Inc (ABKI:OTCBB), and
  • forming strategic alliances (manufacturing scale-up of nano-LiFePO4 lithium ion battery cathodes with TJ Technologies).


    • Powdermet’s breakthrough potential lies in its innovation capability and management’s ability to meet materials challenges of the future. This innovation capability is greatly enhanced by one of the firm’s other core assets, their extensive materials sciences network and collaborations, which include some of the top:

  • academic material sciences programs in the nation (Michigan State, Case Western Reserve, Ohio State University, Purdue University, University of California at Davis, University of California Los Angeles, University of Dayton, etc.);
  • non-profit materials sciences laboratories (Edison Materials Technology Center, Ohio Aerospace Institute, etc.), and
  • Armed Forces and government material sciences groups (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, NASA, Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, Oak Ridge National Laboratories and others) working on new materials development projects.


    • Today, Powdermet is primarily focusing its efforts on three revolutionary technology platforms including:

  • SComP™; a family of hierarchically structured syntactic metal and ceramic composites known for their light weight properties and ability to absorb energy, and (in the ceramic versions), their high temperature structural and insulation values.
  • MComP™; a family of micro-nanocomposite, hierarchically-structured metal composites having extremely high strength-to-weight ratios while retaining high toughness.
  • ENComP™; hierarchically structured nanocomposites for energy, including advanced materials for hydrogen production and storage; high surface area structures for fuel cells, hydrogen production membranes, and advanced filtration; and reactive materials solutions for improved active defense systems to protect US Military personnel.


    • Given the contacts and knowledge base of these institutions, Powdermet’s management is able to keep on top of all the latest innovations in materials sciences and make sure they advance their product R&D to be in line with planned market needs. Powdermet currently operates commercially as a toll manufacturer/service provider, carrying their research for hire and toll manufacturing for clients, but is transitioning from a toll nano-powder producer business model to a value-added materials solutions provider, focused on “clean, green, sustainable material solutions.” The company’s continuing mission is to mature and transition clean, sustainable, energy and life-saving advanced materials solutions to the marketplace. Using primarily the SBIR program, the company is developing breakthrough metallic nanocomposite products. To enable focused commercialization of development results, the company operates as a technology incubator, and partners with financial partners or larger institutions (primes, Fortune 500 companies) to address the full value chain with core competencies outside Powdermet’s advanced materials and processing competencies. In 2010, Powdermet accepted a partnership with Abakan, Inc (ABKI:OTCBB) to accelerate commercialization of its micro and nanocomposite products.

    Contact Powdermet to see how our clean, green sustainable solutions can meet your greentech needs.