Densification of Titanium Powder Using Thermal Cycling

Titanium plays a major role in the area of light-weighting, but it has failed to become mainstream due to manufacturing difficulties driving up cost. The objective of the proposed research is to change the paradigm by proving that inexpensive powdered titanium can be transformed into a solid that is greater than 99.9% porosity free inside a near-net shape mold using mass-production techniques. Temper Inc., in partnership with the Boeing Company, AjaxTOCCO, and the Department of Energy (DoE), has developed a low cost titanium process that reduces raw material cost, minimizes material waste and machining time. The objective of the proposed feasibility study is to prove that titanium components can be manufactured using mass-production techniques while meeting all applicable aerospace and military material standards at a fraction of the cost of current methods.