Titanium powder plant inaugurated

Sandvik inaugurated its highly automated titanium powder plant in Sandviken, Sweden last week. The investment is an important step in meeting the increasing market demands for titanium powder for additive manufacturing.

Lars Bergström, President of the business area Sandvik Machining Solutions, and Per Bill, Governor of Gävleborg, cut the ribbon at the inauguration ceremony. It was followed by a full-day program for customers, including leading companies from the aerospace and medical industries.

Sandvik is a world leader in metal powder for additive manufacturing, offering the widest alloy program on the market. The launch of titanium powders supports a growing trend towards the 3D printing of titanium parts.

“The additive process results in far less material waste than traditional subtractive techniques, while also encouraging new levels of design freedom. This is opening up the use of titanium in industries such as automotive and tooling,” says Mikael Schuisky, Head of R&D and Operations at the Additive Manufacturing division in Sandvik.

Titanium is noted for having exceptional material properties, being strong yet light and offering high levels of corrosion resistance. At the same time, it is biocompatible. However, the cost and complexity of machining from titanium billet have historically restricted its use to high-value, low volume industries such as aerospace and medical.