Titomic has signed a Titanium Ti6AI4V powder supply agreement with GE Additive company AP&C for use on its Titomic Kinetic Fusion (TKF) additive manufacturing process.
The companies have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to combine their expertise to develop new titanium and titanium alloy powders for Titomic’s flagship 3D printing process.
Both Titomic and AP&C serve a host of companies in the aerospace, defence and industrial markets to facilitate their manufacturing needs. The latter will now supply the former’s clients with aerospace grade Titanium Ti6AI4V, and work closely with the vendor to develop industry standards to outline the best practices for storage and handling of titanium powders. They will also work together to develop custom-made homogenisation powder systems for TKF and explore the optimisation of coarse titanium powders (50um - 150um) for use with the process. As Titomic has explained previously, being able to process powders with irregular morphology can reduce the cost of materials for users.
The Australian company has sought to partner with AP&C to bring its ideas closer to reality, citing its new partner as a leader in its field.
“AP&C is a global leader in the production of the aerospace grade titanium and titanium alloy powders using its Plasma Atomisation Manufacturing process, which have the ideal characteristics for the Titomic Kinetic Fusion process,” commented Jeff Lang, Managing Director at Titomic. “These agreements provide Titomic with not only a secure metal powders supply from AP&C, a reputable multinational company, but also allows for continuous improvement under a strong collaboration between the parties of their own unique capabilities for future digital manufacturing solutions for industries.”
Alain Dupont, President and CEO of AP&C, added: “This agreement is a significant milestone in the supply of large volumes of titanium and titanium alloy powders, and we’re delighted to be working with a recognised leader and manufacturing innovator Titomic to produce best practice standards for the future to lead the development of industry standards for titanium powders.”