Founder of Vulcanium/RIGHTech Fabrications dies

Vulcanium Corp./RIGHTech Fabrications has announced that its founder Jim Leopold died on Dec. 28, 2017, at 99 years old.

Leopold purchased a Chicago-area manufacturing firm in 1967, specializing in titanium products for the metal finishing industry. He expanded the company into a provider of corrosion-resistant equipment. He was among the first to champion the widespread use of titanium grid coils in nickel baths, the replacing of hanging slab anodes with titanium anode baskets, and the introduction of zirconium to galvanizers.

Leopold also was a pioneer in the titanium distribution business. In 1972, he opened Industrial Titanium Corp., later known as Vulcanium Metals Intl. and now part of the United Performance Metals division of O’Neal Industries.

He was drafted into the Army’s 47th Infantry in 1941. Captain Leopold’s military leadership and bravery won him four Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star, a Silver Star, and a battlefield commission during World War II’s North Africa and European campaigns.