American superconductor: Combining development expertise with market savvy

In 1986, scientists at IBM's Zurich Research Laboratory made one of the most important discoveries in science: high temperature superconductors (HS). This new class of ceramic conducts electricity with little or no resistance, at temperatures that are maintainable with existing, convenient cooling technologies. Transforming these brittle ceramic HTS material into commercially viable wires and wire products is the mission of American Superconductor Corporation (ASC), founded in 1987 and now the leading US company in the HTS market. ASC is focusing on the development of superconductor wires and wire products for such applications as power transmission cables, electric motors, and magnetic energy storage devices. Recently American superconductor corporation announced the signing of an agreement with Hoechst AG of Germany that will enable further advances in its techniques for manufacturing of superconductor wires. The company has also joined forces with several national laboratories in a Wire Development Group. This group includes representatives from Argonne, Los Alamos, and Oak Ridge National Laboratories, as well as the University of Wisconsin Applied Superconductivity Center. With this type of support, ASC is realizing dramatic progress. In 1992, the company began daily production of 300-foot long wires; by the end of 1993, ASC expects to produce wires ten times that length. With Pirelli, ASC has produced three-foot long prototype multistrand conductors which already transmit up to 500 Amps of current at 77K, a significant fraction of the operating current anticipated for commercial power transmission cables. By the middle of 1994, the company expects to deliver 100-foot long multistrand conductors operating at 77K, and transmitting 1,000 Amps