The titanium revolution is here!

The delivery to Boeing of the world’s first FAA-approved, 3D printed, structural titanium components has seen titanium additive manufacturing (AM) specialist, Norsk Titanium’s star rise in the aerospace sector.

The company garnered attention recently by announcing that it had received a production purchase order for the production of 3D-printed structural titanium components for the airframer’s 787 Dreamliner – said to be the first commercial aircraft to fly with certified AM titanium parts in structural applications produced by Norsk Titanium’s proprietary Rapid Plasma Deposition (RPD) process.

Norsk Titanium is supplying an initial family of four structural titanium components to Boeing for the 787 Dreamliner which provide structural support for internal elements near the rear of the cabin. However, Norsk Titanium officials state that the exact location and part numbers are confidential.

The company’s officials will say however, that the RPD process is the only commercial-ready additive method that uses titanium wire, plasma torches and an inert argon environment. Furthermore, RPD is the only commercial additive process that uses two plasma torches: the first to pre-heat the substrate or prior layer, and the second to melt the titanium wire quickly and precisely. No vacuum chamber is required for RPD; the process takes place in an argon environment similar to standard TIG welding. RPD deposition rate is said to be extremely fast, due to the dual torches and rapid-change argon lock-out chambers featured in Norsk’s MERKE IV production machines.

RPD uses wire as the feedstock and not powder, which is why Norsk Titanium can deposit up to 10kg per hour. The company is currently innovating on the RPD process itself, including hybridisation such as RPD-to-Forge where it 3D prints a pre-form that is forged in a secondary operation, as well as Forge-to-RPD where it takes a large and complicated forging, such as a jet engine housing and 3D prints features directly on to it – both of which result in dramatic savings over traditional methods.

Passed with flying colours

In terms of overcoming the challenges of Boeing’s strict test certification process to approve the parts to fly onboard the 787, Norsk Titanium supplied numerous test samples for Boeing’s test certification process, as well as subjecting its complete process, quality organisation and manufacturing facilities to intense scrutiny throughout the year-long path to certification.

To satisfy the airframers’ demands relating to the size of parts and the speed in which AM can efficiently deposit materials, Norsk Titanium claims its current generation RPD machine can easily produce structural titanium components around 1m long, and larger machines as well as new materials for additional customer requirements are in process.

In line with an ever-maturing additive manufacturing supply chain, the company says its supply chain consists of best-in-class, fully-qualified and already-established aerospace providers, such as Mecachrome, who provide finish-machining of Norsk’s RPD components.

With GE recently purchasing controlling shares in both Arcam and Concept Laser, it seems the AM sector is ripe for mergers and acquisitions (M&A), with some of the larger companies simply removing the competition by using their buying power to acquire those companies they might see as a threat.

Norsk says it expects to see this type of strategic M&A activity in the sector as the market focuses on exactly what technologies will eventually emerge as the leaders for different markets and applications. As the world’s first FAA-approved structural 3D process, the company believes that RPD is the leader in the structural aerospace market and it looks forward to extending its reach into adjacent markets as well.

www.norsktitanium.com