FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is QuesTek an independent and profitable company?

Yes. QuesTek became an independent company and completely separate from Northwestern University in 1997. In 2000, QuesTek raised a significant amount of capital from a number of angel investors. Today, the Company is profitable and cash flow positive. We are in business for the long term and have sufficient cash resources for the foreseeable future.

Why should I use QuesTek materials in my product or product component?

QuesTek materials are designed for high stress applications. Our materials are used most frequently when a customer is having problems with a part or component in a current application or when the customer wants to improve performance of the part or component.

How do I purchase QuesTek materials?

QuesTek stocks its proprietary alloys in a variety of sizes. In most cases materials can be supplied as “slugs” in the ideal unit size for the application. For complete information on the purchase of QuesTek material, please click here to email us, or call us at 847-425-8210.

Can QuesTek materials be modified for my specific application?

Yes. All of our current materials can be modified slightly to achieve varying performance objectives. However, the customer would have to purchase an entire melt of the product if it were produced with modifications.

Can QuesTek design a specific alloy for my use?

Yes. QuesTek can design a new alloy for your specific use if the performance parameters can be clearly defined. We have extensive experience in designing alloys under these circumstances. QuesTek certifies that the delivered alloy will be able to be produced at scale. The time and cost of the project will be dependent on a number of factors and is calculated on a case-by-case basis. For additional information on designing a specific material, please contact Charlie Kuehmann by email or call 847-425-8222.

Can Materials by Design® be applied to materials other than steel alloys?

Yes. Steel was initially chosen for the development of our technology, as it is one of the most complex materials, but the fundamental computational building blocks of QuesTek’s proprietary Computational Materials Dynamics™ software platform applies to other metals and materials. Materials by Design® is currently being applied in the development of alloys of aluminum, titanium, and nickel, along with basic research in ceramics and plastics.

How easily are QuesTek’s materials processed?

Maintaining reasonable processing paths is a key element in the design of a new material. Starting with the performance requirements established by the end user, QuesTek incorporates detailed property-structure and structure-processing relationships in a detailed material system design. The ultimate goal is to create a new material without substantially altering existing processing methods. For example, in their annealed state, QuesTek’s patented secondary-hardening Ferrium® steels range in the low to mid-thirties Rockwell C (HRC). In this state, the steels can be machined with conventional machining technology utilizing carbide tooling. Once machined to desired shape(s), the steels are carburized, quenched and tempered or nitrided to attain HRC hardness levels from the low to high-sixties.