Dynamet Technology receives ITA’s 2013 Titanium Applications Development Award
September 4, 2013
Dynamet Technology, Inc., has announced that it has won the International Titanium Association’s (ITA) 2013 Titanium Applications Development Award. The founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dynamet Technology, Inc., Stanley Abkowitz, will accept the award at the Titanium 2013 conference, October 6-9, Las Vegas, USA.
Located in Burlington, MA, USA, Dynamet Technology has pioneered the development and application of titanium Powder Metallurgy (PM Ti) technology for some 40 years. Acceptance of PM Ti as a substitute for conventional Ti-6Al-4V mill products or forgings for use in aerospace components has been a long-sought objective that marks a breakthrough for the PM titanium industry, stated the company. Ti-6Al-4V is the most widely used titanium alloy for both aerospace and non-aerospace applications.
The annual ITA award recognises exceptional contributions to the advancement of technology and applications in the titanium industry. Brett Paddock, President of the ITA board, and the President and Chief Executive Officer of Titanium Industries Inc., Rockaway, NJ, USA, stated, “As a result of more than 40 years of sustained effort, Dynamet Technology, Inc. has achieved acceptance for use of the technology in commercial aircraft manufacturing. The ITA is pleased to honour this significant achievement, which promises to promote the use of titanium in many future applications through efficient production of near-net shapes using this innovative technology.”
Dynamet Technology, Inc. recently garnered approval from Boeing Co., through Boeing Commercial Aircraft (BCA) after an extensive evaluation of Dynamet Technology’s Ti-6Al-4V alloy product and development of a Boeing Materials Specification for powder metal titanium alloy manufactured by Dynamet Technology’s PM Titanium processing approach. This effort resulted in Dynamet Technology, Inc. becoming the sole qualified supplier for Ti-6Al-4V powder metal products, meeting the requirements of the recently released Boeing Material Specification.
This qualification, along with Dynamet Technology’s receiving AS9100C certification, includes all the requirements of ISO 9100:2008 plus further requirements relating to quality and safety. It was issued April 29 after successful completion of the quality-system audit performed by TUV Rheinland of North America Inc., Newtown, CT, an accredited third-party certification company. This qualification enables Dynamet Technology’s titanium powder metal products to be used as an alternative to conventionally processed titanium for manufacture of commercial aircraft components.
“Dynamet’s proprietary discovery of a more affordable and a faster-to-market titanium powder metal process enticed Boeing metallurgists and engineers to design qualifications around these results,” stated Robert Hill, President of Solar Atmospheres of Western PA, USA, in his letter that nominated Dynamet Technology, Inc. for the application award.
Meeting the Boeing specification opens the door for the production of PM Ti-6Al-4V aircraft parts, from fuselage to landing-gear components, stated the company. The manufacturing technology offers the capability to create near-net-shape parts, which can reduce production costs and scrap rates as well as speed delivery. According to Abkowitz, this represents a significant business opportunity for the global titanium market as the aerospace sector accounts for 55%of all titanium business.
The Dynamet Technology, Inc. EBS (Elemental Blend Sintering) process involves cold pressing, vacuum sintering plus an optional hot-isostatic pressing (HIP) step, all of which yields low-cost, high-density, preformed titanium alloy shapes. Abkowitz said there are two key breakthrough aspects in Dynamet Technology, Inc. process. First, the company’s Powder Metallurgy process achieves tensile properties comparable to conventional wrought titanium products. Second, the process utilises special tooling technology, developed by Dynamet Technology, Inc., to produce near-net shapes.
Abkowitz added that the process also supports the development of novel alloys. Since part production involves sintering rather than melting, entire new titanium alloy families, incorporating the advantages of high-performance metals such as tungsten, zirconium, tantalum and niobium as alloying elements, can be created.
