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Titanium is a lightweight metal with high strength and excellent corrosion resistance

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Titanium (Ti6Al4V) is a workhorse alloy. Versus Ti grade 23 annealed, the mechanical properties of Ti6Al4V are comparable to wrought titanium for tensile strength, elongation, and hardness. Final parts built in Ti6Al4V receive vacuum stress relief application.

Primary Benefits

High stiffness and strength relative to weight
High temperature and corrosion resistance

Design Guidelines for Titanium 3D Printing

US
Metric

	Normal Resolution	High Resolution
Max Part Size	9. 6 in. x 9.6 in. x 13.0 in.	3.5 in. x 3.5 in. x 2.7 in.
Layer Thickness	0.0012 in.	0.00079 in.
Minimum Feature Size	0.015 in.	0.006 in.

	Normal Resolution	High Resolution
Max Part Size	245mm x 245mm x 330mm	88mm x 88mm x 70mm
Layer Thickness	30 microns	20 microns
Minimum Feature Size	0.381mm	0.153mm

Tolerances: For well-designed parts, tolerances of ±0.003 in(0.076mm) plus ±0.001 in./in. (0.0254mm/mm) can typically be achieved. Note that tolerances may change depending on part geometry.

Titanium (Ti6Al4V) Material Properties

US
Metric

Applications for 3D-Printed Titanium

Due to its light weight, high strength, and excellent high temperature and corrosion resistance, titanium is often used for aerospace, industrial, and medical applications. Common uses include:

Compressor blades and discs
Rings for jet engines
Airframe and space capsule components
Surgical instruments
Medical implants

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Norsk Titanium | Company

Process
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What Sets Us Apart
Capacity
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Who We Are
History
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Our Investors

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Investors

Norsk Titanium is pioneering a new era of on-demand metal additive manufacturing that will revolutionize industries.

The heart and soul of Norsk Titanium is our worldwide employee family. Our success is driven by the talent of our people and the excitement derived from innovating new technologies for our customers.

We have grown from our humble beginnings in the Norwegian countryside to become a global leader based on our pioneering efforts in structural additive manufacturing. The future offers endless possibilities for RPD^® manufacturing. Norsk Titanium scientists, engineers, and employees around the world are truly responsible for launching the next great manufacturing era.

Vision Innovating the future of metal is our vision. It is our contribution to the world and why we will be remembered.

Mission All our activities should support our mission: we enable fast, clean, sustainable metals manufacturing.

Values The values that guide us are: Glød, Creative Curiosity, Collaboration, Trust & Respect, and Integrity

Leadership

Board of Directors

Founders

Dr. Alf Bjørseth

Dr. Alf Bjørseth is a Norwegian entrepreneur, industrial developer, researcher, and chemist. He previously held positions as R&D Director of Hydro and CTO of Elkem. He has founded the private incubator Scandinavian Advanced Technology AS (Scatec), the solar cell manufacturers Renewable Energy Corporation / ScanWafer (REC), Scatec Solar, Norsun, n-Tec, Thor Energy, and a number of other high-tech companies. He founded Norsk Titanium with Petter Gjørvad.

Petter Gjørvad

Petter Gjørvad founded Norsk Titanium with Alf Bjørseth. He specialized in titanium as part of his engineering degree, and later worked in information technology, holding various positions within Oracle prior to founding Norsk Titanium.

Technology Partners

Tronrud Engineering

Innovator in development, production, and delivery of customized industrial products and technical solutions for manufacturing customers

BSI

Business standards company helping aviation, space, and defense organizations make excellence a habit

Rexroth Bosch Group

Leading global supplier of technology and services including customized drive and control solutions for our MERKE IV^® RPD^® machines

Commercial Partners

Boeing

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the first commercial airplane to fly with qualified additive-manufactured RPD^® titanium parts in structural applications.

Spirit AeroSystems

With focus on affordable, innovative manufacturing solutions, Spirit AeroSystems designs and builds aerostructures for both commercial and defense customers.

Seyer Industries

Privately held small business, experts in tight tolerance machining, high level assembly capabilities, scalable processes, investing in the future

Hittech Group B.

Hittech is the system supplier for high-tech equipment where you can outsource your development, assembly, parts manufacture and material development with confidence.

Large Shareholdings

Norwegian Heritage

A small team of Norwegian scientists and engineers formed Norsk Titanium with an oversized dream — to pioneer the next industrial revolution.

From over a decade of materials science research and process control came Rapid Plasma Deposition.^® What Norsk Titanium achieved has fundamentally altered manufacturing forever and launched the new industrial age.

Milestones

2007

Norsk Titanium founded by Dr. Alf Bjørseth and Petter Gjørvad to develop and commercialize radically less expensive aerospace-grade titanium components

Investment by Scatec

2008

First prototype machine operational (Gen 1)

2009

Cooperation agreement signed with Spirit Aerosystems

Second prototype machine operational (Gen 2)

2010

NORSOK (oil and gas industry) certification achieved

Norsk signs technology cooperation agreement with EADS for the development of near-net-shape plasma-based layer manufacturing for aerospace, defense, and space applications

Cooperation agreement signed with Airbus

Alf Bjørseth inducted to Cleantech Scandinavia’s Hall of Fame

Investment by Aljomaih Group

2011

Patent “Method for Production of Alloyed Titanium Welding Wire” published

Commercial manufacturing to the oil and gas industry

2012

Third prototype machine operational (Gen 3)

Patent “Method and Device for Manufacturing Titanium Objects” published

2013

Norsk Titanium and Spirit AeroSystems reach milestone for Direct Metal Deposition technology, achieving technology readiness level six, demonstrating the ability to meet aerospace material requirements

AS9100C certified

2014

Westmoreland TRL8 FAA material successfully manufactured

Patent “Method and Arrangement for Building Metallic Objects by Solid Freeform Fabrication” published

2015

Investment by Arconic (formerly RTI International Metals)

State of New York invests $125 million to build the world’s first industrial-scale additive manufacturing facility for aerospace production

Boeing Approved Supplier List

Full-rate production RPD^™ machines (Gen 4) come online, the result of eight years of research; each machine can produce 10 to 20 metric tons of aerospace-grade titanium parts per year

Expand European capacity to 60 MT with Gen 4 machines

Ship parts for Airbus A350 XWB to Premium AEROTEC

2016

Norsk Titanium debuts revolutionary RPD^™ Process and Metal Additive Manufactured Aircraft Components at Farnborough International Airshow

Announcement of the Plattsburgh Production Development & Qualification Center (PDQC), an innovative, state-of-the-art production and training facility

Initiative with Clarkson University to develop Rapid Plasma Deposition^™ workforce training and research programs

Equity investment from Insight Equity Holdings LLC

Investment from Applied Ventures

Investment from Harbert European Growth Capital Fund Financing

2017

Norsk delivers MERKE IV^™ RPD^™ machines to Plattsburgh, New York

Creation of the world’s first 3D-printed, FAA-approved structural aircraft part under a futuristic program with Boeing to equip the 787 Dreamliner with efficient RPD^™ titanium components

Strategic investment from affiliate of Fortress Investment Group

Dedication of PDQC with the State of New York

Strategic investment from Rose Park Advisors’ Disruptive Innovation Fund

AS9100D certified

2021

Norsk Titanium lists on EuroNext Growth after successful USD $38 million capital raise

2022

Norsk Titanium trades on OTC market under ticker symbol NORSF

Custom titanium 3D printing.

Sprint 3D!

Titanium is a widely used metal for 3D printing. It is also one of the most practical, being both very wear-resistant and lightweight. 3D printing with titanium is used in various industries: medical (in particular, individual prosthetics), aerospace, space, engineering and others. The only significant disadvantage of titanium is its increased reactivity in powder form. Therefore titanium printing on a 3D printer must be performed by qualified specialists and in an inert Argon gas environment.

You can already order 3D printing with titanium in our company Sprint 3D. We guarantee the quality, durability of all products, meeting deadlines and a personalized approach. All details are below.

Titanium 3D printing with Sprint 3D

3D printing with our own industrial 3D printers

The largest working area is 90x90x80 mm

First-rate material-Titan

Shipment the next day

Delivery throughout Russia and CIS countries

PROCESSIONS AY ACTION

For a long time, 3D printing technology was expensive and out of reach for most potential customers. Only in recent years has it and printing software become more accessible. And most importantly, they made it possible to print not only with plastics, but also with more durable materials.

Due to its low density and high resistance to mechanical and thermal influences, titanium has become one of the optimal materials for printing products in various industries.

Already now printing with titanium on the 3D printer allows you to print structures for aerospace, automotive, military, jewelry and many other important industries. That is, even where particularly high precision in production is important.

Titanium is 3D printed by classical technology as follows:

1. Metal in powder form is processed by electron beam melting. This technology allows you to create the thinnest layer - less than 0.2 mm.

2. Melting takes place in a special chamber by means of a directed action of electronic emitters.

3. In the chamber, successive layers are formed until the desired dimensions and shape of the product are achieved.

In some cases, titanium products are milled, but modern technology and software allow you to create products of high complexity without the need for post-processing. This reduces production time and makes it more cost-effective due to the lack of additional technologies.

Titanium printing on the 3D printer involves the use of additive manufacturing technology - direct laser sintering. Briefly, it can be divided into two stages:

1. A thin layer of titanium powder is fed onto the heating table.

2. A carbon dioxide laser fuses titanium powder particles to each other and to the previous layer.

Please note: when 3D printing with titanium, there is no traditional shine familiar to many - the details are somewhat dull and rough. However, if the characteristic titanium sheen is important to you, it can be achieved with manual processing. Polishing allows you to easily and quickly achieve the desired visual look with a bright and attractive sheen.

7

Key Features of

Titanium 3D Printing

Despite its practicality and versatility,

3D printing with titanium has some limitations, which we always warn our customers about.

Difficulty printing products with right angles and lines. Titanium has many features, and one of them is not perfect straight lines. But smooth shapes and rounded elements look great. Plus, they are more convenient and easier to process in the future. Therefore, most experts agree that the angles in titanium-printed objects should be at least 35 degrees.
The need for product support when printing. When using DMLS technology, model support is required. The product must be firmly fixed to the base. Without this, it is impossible to achieve high printing accuracy. After the printing process is completed, the support is removed.
There are some nuances when printing small items, as well as when reproducing depressions by engraving. For example, when printing letters from titanium. If we print titanium letters, the minimum thickness is 0.4mm, and the thickness of the recesses is about 0.15mm.

There are other features of 3D printing with titanium depending on the products to be printed. We always discuss all these aspects with the client before completing the order.

Specifications of titanium

When printing with this metal, the parameters of this metal and the requirements for products based on it must be taken into account:

The walls of the product must be no thinner than 0.4 mm.
Small parts size up to 0.25 mm.
Printing accuracy is about 0.2%.
Tensile strength - 1140 MPa.
Rockwell hardness approx. 37 HRC.
Density - 4.41 grams per cm3.
Melting point - 1660 degrees Celsius.

If you have additional questions about 3D printing with titanium or other metals, please contact us at +7 (495) 740 51 70 or use the feedback form on the website.

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Classification and groups of titanium alloys | Application of Ti6Al4V in additive manufacturing | Bugatti optimizes Bolide hypercar with bionic design and titanium 3D printing | Bracket for aircraft has become one third lighter | Thanks to the titanium prosthesis, the patient was able to return to normal life

Among the materials used in metal 3D printing, titanium and its alloys, especially Ti6Al4V, occupy a special place. Titanium is a metal that exists in nature in the form of oxides. The most common are rutile (TiO2) and ilmenite (FeTiO3). Pure titanium is produced by the Kroll method.

Without going into details, the process is as follows. First, titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) is obtained by chlorination in the presence of carbon monoxide at 1000 °C. After that, using magnesium or sodium, carbon monoxide is removed in an inert atmosphere at 800–850 °C. The result is pure titanium. Absolutely pure titanium is difficult to obtain due to its high reactivity, therefore samples with a purity of 9 are accepted on the market for it.9.9%. For this reason, titanium is mainly used in the form of an alloy with other elements.

Read more about additive manufacturing projects for Bugatti cars in the article

The main physical and chemical properties of this metal are high mechanical strength, low density and high corrosion resistance. For this reason, titanium and its alloys are attractive materials for various industries, including the aviation industry and medicine. The only significant disadvantage of titanium is its high cost. Due to the properties of its alloys, this material has great potential for the production of parts and elements in an additive way.

Can 3D printing help you optimize production in your organization? Order a free consultation iQB Technologies experts!

Classification and groups of titanium alloys

Depending on the microstructure and phase composition, titanium alloys are divided into three groups: α, α + β, and β. What is microstructure and phase? Microstructure - the structure of the material, distinguishable under an optical or electron microscope. It can be used to determine the size, shape and orientation of individual crystals and granules that make up the material. It also largely determines its physicochemical properties. A phase, on the contrary, is a section of a material with the same physical and chemical properties. Each phase differs from the others in its microstructure and/or composition. Both of these characteristics depend on the rate at which the material cools from a liquid to a solid state, as well as on the application of heat treatment.

Alloys are divided into groups depending on the elements included in their composition in addition to titanium. In alloys of the α group, α-stabilizers (aluminum, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen) predominate. Compared to other titanium alloys, these alloys have relatively low mechanical properties and high corrosion resistance. The most widely used of this group are Ti3Al2.5V and Ti5Al2.5V.

Group β alloys were developed to improve the mechanical properties of the material. They include β-stabilizers (iron, molybdenum, vanadium). These alloys include, among others, Ti10.2.3, Ti555.3 and Ti17.

Finally, there are alloys of the α + β group. They are the best studied and contain stabilizers of both groups, resulting in a mixed microstructure and a good set of properties. The most widely used Ti6Al4V. Due to the optimal ratio between mechanical strength, ductility, fatigue resistance and crack resistance, its share is 56% of the entire titanium alloy market. Depending on the group, the alloys market is divided in the following proportions: 26% (α), 4% (β) and 70% (α + β).

On the left is the equiaxed microstructure of the Ti6Al4V alloy (without heat treatment). On the right is a diagram of the phase composition of the Ti6Al4V alloy © 3dnatives.com

iQB Technologies Experts Recommend Article: Metal 3D Printing: Short Answers to Big Questions

Application of Ti6Al4V in additive manufacturing

Taking the market as a whole, Ti6Al4V alloy is the most widely used in 3D printing because of its high strength, low density, high corrosion resistance, and high biocompatibility. This set of properties makes it a valuable material in industries such as automotive, aerospace, medicine and biomedicine, dentistry, chemicals, defense and other areas.

Before starting 3D printing using Ti6Al4V, the alloy must be powdered. This is done using two main technologies: plasma and gas atomization.

Plasma atomization is used to produce highly pure metal powder (Ti6Al4V). The alloy in the form of a rod is fed into the atomizer tank and melted under the influence of the plasma torch. As it falls, the molten metal solidifies into spherical particles.

The most commonly used technology is gas atomization. The molten material is fed into the nozzle and atomized with an inert gas (argon or nitrogen). In the gas flow, the molten material solidifies and disintegrates into spherical particles, which accumulate at the bottom of the chamber.

See also: Russian manufacturer of SLM machines dispels myths about technology

The choice of technology for the production of metal powder (in this case, Ti6Al4V) is extremely important. The particle size and properties of the powder depend on it, which, in turn, determines the characteristics of the final product. There are three industrial Ti6Al4V alloys on the market today:

TC4 conforming to GB/T 3620.1-2017;
Ti6Al4V class 5;
Ti6Al4V Grade 23 conforming to ASTM B348-13.

They differ from each other in particle size, which limits the minimum thickness of the printed layer. Most often, 3D printing using Ti6Al4V is carried out using DMLS or SLM technology. The choice of technology depends on the type of part and the desired characteristics.

Source: 3dnatives.com

Bugatti optimizes Bolide hypercar with bionic design and 3D printed titanium

Luxury car manufacturer Bugatti has been using additive technologies for years. New advances in 3D printing have been applied to the development of the Bolide hypercar, unveiled in October 2020. Bolide is equipped with an eight-liter W16 engine, weighs only 1240 kg and is capable of accelerating to more than 500 km/h.

Inspired by bone structure, the design team 3D-printed automotive components with a hollow structure with thin walls (up to 0.4 mm) and small ramifications. The use of bionic design has made it possible to give the parts exceptional rigidity and at the same time significantly reduce their weight.

Of the additively produced components for the Bugatti Bolide, the push rods stand out. Despite their light weight - only 100 g - they can withstand pressures up to 3.5 tons.

Another printed detail that Bugatti is particularly proud of is the hypercar's titanium rear fender mounting bracket. Weighing 600g, the bracket is capable of withstanding an aerodynamic downforce of up to 800kg, with a hollow design and a wall thickness of 0.7mm.

Bugatti previously created a titanium brake caliper for the Chiron hypercar, the first to be 3D printed and the largest in automotive history. The 3D printing was done on a powerful 4-laser SLM 500 machine. The titanium caliper is about 40% lighter and at the same time stronger than the original aluminum part.

Read more in the article: Bugatti did the impossible in 45 hours with a 3D printer

Bracket for the aircraft has become one third lighter

The S-bracket is an aircraft lift actuator element printed from Ti6AI4V on an SLM 280 machine by ASCO Industries. Its elegant shape is the result of strict space requirements and high stresses on the seating surfaces. The original project involved the manufacture of a high-strength stainless steel bracket and complex machining.

S-shaped bracket - an element of the actuator of the aircraft lift system

The product design has been redesigned for additive manufacturing through topological optimization. Its goal was to minimize the mass while maintaining the necessary strength to withstand the aerodynamic loads specified in the project.

Results of application of selective laser melting:

31% weight reduction and overall assembly time reduction;
combining three parts into one;
decrease in the material utilization factor from 17 to 1.5;
significant reduction in machining time.

The result of the topological optimization of the bracket

Read more in the article: How to reduce the weight of an aircraft structural element by a third

Thanks to the titanium prosthesis, the patient was able to return to normal life

The biocompatibility of titanium alloys (such as Ti6Al4V ELI) makes them ideal for 3D printing prosthetic bones of the maxillofacial region, intervertebral discs, clavicles, knees, shoulder blades, hips, and various implants. In dentistry, these materials are used for the manufacture of one-piece implants, as well as metal bases for crowns and bridges made of titanium, cobalt-chromium and other alloys.

An 81-year-old patient suffered from a type 3B acetabular defect according to the Paprosky classification. Previous revision reconstructions in this patient had failed due to calyx loosening and displacement to the posterior cranial region.

For the operation, an aMace hip joint prosthesis was designed, individually made on a 3D printer in accordance with the defect. Thanks to this, the prosthesis helped to achieve the desired degree of recovery and fixation.

aMace custom prosthesis used for surgery

The aMace prosthesis (developed by Materialize) allows you to take into account all the medical features of the patient and the complex mechanical requirements for this important moving part of the human body. The complex porous structure of the back of the product, which allows for bone ingrowth, is a feature that can be easily reproduced using 3D printing.

The prosthesis helped to restore the center of rotation to the desired location and orientation, and also provided sufficient support despite the limited amount of bone material (especially in the posterior cranial region).