Elmet Technologies was recently featured on NEWS CENTER Maine for October 2025 Manufacturing Month. The following republished article, Elmet Technologies secures US Navy contract amid manufacturing growth, and all media, plus original content is accredited to NEWS CENTER Maine. Published October 2025.

LEWISTON, Maine — October is Manufacturing Month in Maine, a time to raise awareness about the strength and diversity of the state’s manufacturing industry. 

Elmet Technologies, a metal manufacturer in Lewiston, is recognized worldwide for producing high-quality metals for defense, aerospace, electrical, and medical applications. 

The company has recently signed a multimillion-dollar contract with the U.S. Navy and is expanding its operations to hire more skilled workers and meet increasing customer demand.

Brandon Burgess, Vice President of Special Projects at The Elmet Group, described how crushed ore from around the world is turned into metals like tungsten and molybdenum using a sintering furnace.

“The furnace operates at around 1,450 degrees Celsius,” Burgess explained.

The powdered materials are pressed and heated until they become a strong, solid piece. These metals can withstand high heat and wear, making them suitable for use in defense, aerospace, scanning, and medical equipment. 

“Helicopters and airplanes will use it for its weight and density for balance, and for a lot of applications for which the density is used for shielding radiation,” Elmet Technologies CEO Derek Fox said.

Elmet began in 1929, making tungsten filaments for light bulbs. Now, it is the largest U.S.-owned producer of tungsten and molybdenum products, with about 400 employees across three states: Maine, Ohio, and Michigan.

Elmet recently secured a $5.1 million contract to develop new methods for forging two specialized superalloys used in U.S. Navy nuclear submarines. The company will use a large extrusion press at its Michigan plant for this project.

“You are essentially taking a big chunk of material and pushing it through a tube, and out comes a bar or a wire,” Fox said.

The company is launching automated robotic equipment that will handle the inspection, cleaning, and packaging of products. 

Since they can run 20 hours a day, this technology will help Elmet keep up with the U.S. military’s demand for materials.

As more customers come on board, the company is hiring additional machinists, who can be trained to operate the equipment.