Boeing and Titomic work together to promote the Application of Titanium in 3D Printing

On January 7th, aerospace manufacturer Boeing has partnered with Melbourne company Titomic, which owns the Titomic KineticFusion (TKF) 3D printing process, to further promote the manufacturing of additional materials in the space sector.

The two companies will jointly promote the application of sustainable titanium powder in 3D printing of space system components. Titomic recently received a $2.325 million grant from the Australian government for a modern manufacturing program to use local titanium resources to develop and commercialize components for spacecraft and satellites.

Watson, director of aerospace engineering and production at Boeing Defense Australia, explained: "under the agreement, Boeing will provide design and engineering expertise to enable Titomic to demonstrate its cutting-edge kinetic fusion manufacturing technology in the production of space components."

Titomic's TKF process is a form of cold spray augmentation. This method involves spraying fine metal powder onto the solid substrate below, just as paint is sprayed on a graffiti wall. The substrate can be a construction platform or an existing metal part.

The technology is named cold spraying because it does not rely on lasers or any other source of heat, but uses kinetic energy. The metal powder is ejected by a high-speed compressed air stream, so that the material has enough energy to deform and combine with the solid parts below to form an additional layer.

Titomic proprietary TKF technology, which is characterized by the high-voltage nature. This qualifies the process for high-performance applications in industries such as aerospace and defense, where the company is a mature operator and registered research institution.

In 2021, Titomic signed a cooperation agreement with machine tool manufacturer Repkon to build a new defense-focused 3D printing plant in Australia. The plant will use the company's augmented manufacturing technology to manufacture weapon barrel systems designed by Repkon.

Recently, the company also expanded its business in Europe by buying rival Dutch cold spray technology company Dycomet Europe. In addition to providing a new base in Europe, the deal also provides a direct source of revenue for Titomic, as Dycomet Europe brings a healthy pipeline of customer orders across the continent.

Sustainable Titanium Alloy 3D Printing for Space

Titanium has become one of the most commonly used materials in aerospace field because of its high strength-to-weight ratio and excellent corrosion resistance. In the military field, aircraft such as the FMY 22 and UH-60 Black Hawk rely on large amounts of titanium, while the space sector is using more and more metal in rocket engines, pressure vessels and structural components.

According to Boeing and Titomic, titanium is readily available in Australia and is more environmentally sustainable than other similar alternatives. The use of this metal also helps to achieve significant time and cost savings by eliminating the need for large amounts of raw mineral processing.

"this collaboration will prove that using sustainable titanium augmentation manufacturing technology or large-scale 3D printing technology can produce highly elastic, lightweight components that are widely used throughout the space field," Watson said. "

The partnership is also expected to make Titomic a leading supplier of space manufacturing in Australia. The chief executive of Titomic said the two companies would redefine the production process of space vehicles and components, eventually improving Australia's global competitiveness in the manufacture of aviation components.