Amaero International, a specialist in metal additive manufacturing (3D printing) for the defence, aerospace and tooling sectors, plans to construct what it says will be the world’s most advanced titanium alloy gas atomisation powder manufacturing facility in Victoria, Australia.
According to the company, the AUS$8 million plant will produce aerospace grade titanium powder and could reach annual revenues of around AUS$30 million when fully operational. It is planned to be constructed and commissioned over an 18-month period.
Amaero says that the plant will provide users in Australia and overseas with a reliable source of titanium alloy powder. Currently, the world supply chain source of origin for titanium alloy is currently dominated by China and Russia, which, it says, effectively set the world market price.
‘This project is a culmination of many years of experience and research and it is my pleasure to provide technology leadership to the Amaero team that delivers this project, which will become the global benchmark for titanium alloy powder manufacturing,’ said Amaero technology fellow, Dr James W Sears.
‘Producing titanium alloy powder in Australia will provide a stable, secure and cost-effective supply, allowing defence and other sectors to continue to advance their 3D manufacturing capabilities,’ said Amaero CEO Barrie Finnin. According to Finnin, Amaero has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a metal powder supply company that has established market channels for metal powder sales and is now in the process of negotiating a collaborative distribution agreement. ‘In addition, we have already received letters of support for this project from two of the five largest defence companies globally indicating strong potential demand for Ti64 powder from a competitive Australian source for specific commercial and military applications,’ he added.
This story uses material from Amaero, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
