Zenyatta’s Albany Graphite Suitable for Powder Metallurgy Applications

Zenyatta Ventures Ltd. (TSXV:ZEN) announced positive results from initial testing of a number of high-purity graphite samples for use in powder metallurgy (PM) applications. The samples came from the company’s Ontario-based Albany deposit.

As quoted in the press release:

Testing was conducted at the National Research Council (‘NRC’) in Ottawa, Canada and was partially funded by a federal research grant through the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP). Screening results for various properties support suitable use of this unique hydrothermal graphite in the targeted PM application. Zenyatta graphite samples were mixed with steel, copper and lubricant powders to produce a powder metallurgy specimen. The flow properties of the mixture compare favorably with the mixture made with benchmark materials in existing use. In addition, the mechanical properties of the final Zenyatta artifacts, after a sintering heat treatment, were comparable to those of the benchmark artifacts.

Highlights include:

• Zenyatta’s graphite shows the very important high purity and particle size specifications required for PM application; Primary testing has shown our graphite to perform well in PM applications when compared to reference graphite material;

• The largest market for metal powders is in the production of automotive PM parts. Other uses for PM include specialized parts for military, aerospace, energy, medical, electronics, computers and household appliances;

• Zenyatta expects to have a targeted market application segmentation which includes 25-30% for high purity graphite in PM, 25-30% in Lithium-ion batteries and 20-25% for Fuel Cell products. The remaining 15-30% target applications will be discussed in upcoming news releases.

Dr. Bharat Chahar, vice president of market development at Zenyatta, commented:

These latest screening tests conducted at NRC continue to show positive attributes of Zenyatta graphite in multiple applications. It provides further evidence of the suitability of this unique material in many cleantech applications that we are targeting. The Company will continue test programs at other labs and with global end-users but will involve larger scale test equipment to provide more extensive data to progress our market development plans.

Click here to read the full Zenyatta Ventures Ltd. (TSXV:ZEN) press release.