Anglo American has been granted a patent for a friction stir welding tool insert with a textured surface layer made of polycrystalline cubic boron nitride composite material. The textured layer has a depth of 0.5 to 50 µm and features a repeating pattern, enhancing the welding process. GlobalData’s report on Anglo American gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.

Smarter leaders trust GlobalData

Report-cover

Data Insights Anglo American Plc - Company Profile

Buy the Report

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

According to GlobalData’s company profile on Anglo American, Wireless charging system was a key innovation area identified from patents. Anglo American's grant share as of January 2024 was 48%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.

Patent granted for textured pcbn composite material for welding tool

Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Credit: Anglo American Plc

A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11883902B2) discloses a friction stir welding tool insert made of a polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) composite material with a textured surface layer. The textured surface layer, with a depth ranging from 0.5 to 50 µm, features a pre-defined repeating pattern of surface features such as truncated pyramids, cuboids, crevices, ridges, and grooves. This innovative tool insert is designed to enhance the performance and efficiency of friction stir welding processes.

Furthermore, the patent claims specify that the textured surface layer can be uniform in size, extend across the entire surface of the tool insert, or be provided only in predetermined zones, such as the working face or the region where the stirring pin merges with the shoulder. The surface roughness of the textured layer is defined to be between 0.5 to 5 µm, ensuring optimal functionality during friction stir welding operations. Additionally, the PCBN composite material includes cBN particles dispersed in a matrix material comprising a tungsten-rhenium matrix, with an aluminum compound partially coating the cBN particles within the matrix material. These unique features highlight the innovative design and potential benefits of the patented friction stir welding tool insert.

To know more about GlobalData’s detailed insights on Anglo American, buy the report here.

Data Insights

From

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Blending expert knowledge with cutting-edge technology, GlobalData’s unrivalled proprietary data will enable you to decode what’s happening in your market. You can make better informed decisions and gain a future-proof advantage over your competitors.

GlobalData

GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.