GKN Hoeganaes is forming a joint venture in North America with TLS Technik GmbH to produce titanium powders for additive manufacturing. The subsidiary of GKN Powder Metallurgy did not indicate the schedule or budget for developing the new operation, though it described the plan as an extension of its previous powder-metallurgy R&D efforts, centered at Cinnaminson, NJ.
Last year Hoeganaes introduced a new line of metal powders engineered for additive manufacturing. The first offering is AncorTi™, a spherical powder of Ti6Al4V alloy and other “commercially pure grades.” Additive manufacturing, including processes like electron-beam melting and laser sintering, convert designs into solid state by depositing metal powders according to a CAD-defined pattern, then transforming the powder to metal using laser or plasma energy.
Titanium, for reasons relating to production time and cost, and to the high-value of the finished products, has been the object of various developments in additive manufacturing. Manufacturers like Alcoa, Boeing, and Norsk Titanium have been notably active in developing titanium additive manufacturing processes.
AncorTi reportedly also can be applied for metal injection molding and hot isostatic pressing.
TLS Technik, Bitterfeld, Germany, is a manufacturer of titanium and other metal and intermetallic powders for additive manufacturing, metal injection molding, and other processes.
