Autium developed a proprietary vacuum diffusion bonding technology that allowed them to create the world's first purple gold alloy for jewelry making. This technology consists of bonding other metals like titanium or copper to gold to create new fusion metals with unique properties. Autium has since applied this technology to create a variety of fusion metals and alloys for applications like watch parts, surgical tools, and more. The company's CEO says their one technology can create many products, and Autium continues developing new materials and applications like their Noble silver range and metallic adhesives for ceramics.

1. (DE)SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED
ONE TEchNOlOgy,
MaNy PrOducTs
By Nicole liaNg
iNveNtor of the world’s first purple gold material
for jewellery coNstaNtly improves oN its proprietary
techNology to keep it relevaNt aNd profitaBle.
yOu May NOT have heard of the brand name ‘autium’ but ‘purple
gold’ would be a familiar term, especially to jewellery lovers.
this gold alloy is made using 80 percent pure gold and 20 percent
other metal components. although the alloy has been available
since decades ago, the material was not strong and malleable
enough for jewellery making.
But autium pte ltd’s proprietary vacuum diffusion Bonding
technology made this possible and gave purple gold its consistent
colour and brilliance – a world’s first.
the technology to manufacture the 19kt purple gold, has been sold
to singapore exchange-listed aspial corp, a jewellery brand owner,
in year 2000.
from then on, singapore-based autium has shown no signs of
slowing down. it has since produced a series of fusion metals, such
as titanium-gold, blue-gold, black gold, etc.
autium is also working to supply watchmakers with watch
movement parts crafted from fusion metals which will lead to such
improvements as lighter gear systems, cost and energy efficiency
gains, and improved aesthetics, among others. leading high-end
swiss watchmakers have already expressed interest.
the same technology can also be applied in surgical tools. for
instance, the scalpel can be radically improved by manufacturing it
using copper and stainless steel fusion metal, which offers both the
anti-bacterial properties of copper and the mechanical strength of
stainless steel.
“truly - one technology, many products,” autium’s ceo, yang loh says.
a new material, silver, is used in autium’s relentless product
development now. the ‘Noble silver’ range was launched this year
featuring superior tarnish resistant silver, that through iso standard
tests show that it supersedes all current silver available in the
market, loh said.
“silver tends to tarnish if it is not worn daily, which is why very few
watches are made in silver; it is used mostly jewellery. we also
managed to increase its hardness, and thus opened up new doors
in manufacturing cutlery and others,” loh explained.
also new: metallic adhesives for ceramics. loh says this is a first in
this technology of joining metals and ceramics, especially titanium.
“this is a special conducting alloy allows titanium, aluminium and
other metals to stick to glass, ruby, quartz and other ceramic
compounds.”
autium’s alloys are also supplied to the metallurgy industry, to
names such as mitsubishi materials, cendres & metaux, precinox
and heimerle & meule.
from jewellery to watches, then from industrial and surgical
tools to cutlery and furnishing products, autium’s research and
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