RESTART™ program

Today’s supply chain managers are faced with the difficult task of balancing quality, performance, and profitability in an environment of escalating prices and supply constraints. Materion’s RESTART™ program provides solutions to these challenges in a manner that preserves valuable material resources for use within our industry. RESTART™ stands for Rare Element Supply Tactics and Resource Transformations.

Recycling High Purity Metals

Currently, valuable metals prices are on the rise due to several supply chain issues such as regulations, increased demand, and poor end-of-life management. These factors contribute to valuable metals being sold off into adjacent industries where the resource becomes unavailable. With RESTART™, Materion captures end-of-life, spent sputtering targets for reuse. This is achieved through our novel recycling technology in a manner that maintains the purity and quality of the metal and reduces supply constraints. 

Tantalum, Chromium and Nickel

As part of the initial phase of RESTART™, Materion offers Tantalum, Chromium and Nickel alloys. Unique processes have been developed for each of these materials, allowing them to be recycled while maintaining customer-specified purity levels. RESTART™ materials are currently approved for use in the semiconductor, optics, security, and hard disk drive industries.

• Chromium metal has a supply chain stretching all the way to Asia. In the past, both China and Russia have attempted to dominate its supply, resulting in shortages and higher prices. For this reason, Materion chose Chromium to be one of our early RESTART™ candidates.
• Nickel is a material normally alloyed with metals like Vanadium, Chromium or Platinum. Reusing these alloys is key to lower cost options for our customers.
• Tantalum metal has doubled in price over the last two years. Controlling the reuse of spent Tantalum sputter targets prevents them from slipping into adjacent markets via scrap metal dealers. It also helps lower raw material cost and ensures compliance with Conflict Minerals legislation.

RESTART™ Expansion

Going forward, Materion plans to expand the RESTART™ program to include Niobium and rare earth containing materials such as Aluminum Scandium. Your Sales Representative will keep you informed as details becomes available. For questions about the RESTART™ program, please contact John Kuphal, Product Specialist, John.Kuphal@Materion.com.