Cobalt’s past, present and future
Innovation in Industry
Cobalt Alloys
Hundreds of years ago, cobalt gave Ming pottery its immutable blues. Today, the cobalt used in MRI machines is giving us a new window into the human body. But it’s in our phones and computers and in the batteries of our electric vehicles that cobalt is having its greatest impact on our everyday lives and the transition to a more sustainable world. Thanks to cobalt, we can store energy from the wind and sun and feed it into the grid when it’s needed.
Trans Africa MIning supplies the materials the future depends on. Protecting that future requires us to do it in a way that ensures minimum impact on communities and the environment. We take that responsibility seriously.
Cobalt is an essential element of a broad range of innovative industrial technologies and consumer applications.
Cobalt gives alloys increased resistance to wear, corrosion, and heat, proving them with a longer service life and enhancing reliability.
Combining other metals with cobalt
Additional beneficial properties from other metals can be added to those of cobalt, creating a material that is more beneficial for a specific use. For example, adding chromium to cobalt produces a material ideal for prosthesis, which has high wear resistance and is bio-compatible.
Combining cobalt with other metals
Cobalt can be combined with other materials by the process of alloying whereby two or more elements, at least one of which is metallic, are combined. Cobalt-containing materials can be conferred with the key physico-chemical properties of cobalt including magnetism, strength at elevated temperatures, and wear and corrosion resistance.
Application of cobalt alloys
Cobalt is used in many different alloy applications including wear-resistant alloys, superalloys, powder metallurgy, and hard metal. Cobalt gives these alloys increased resistance to wear, corrosion, and heat, proving them with a longer service life and enhancing reliability. A key sector for cobalt-containing super alloys is aerospace where these properties are vital for reliable and efficient turbines, which helps to ensure passenger safety. Other examples include cobalt alloys for dental and medical devices where cobalt confers biocompatibility.