WICHITA, Kan., June 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Spirit
AeroSystems, Inc., [NYSE: SPR] and Norsk Titanium Components AS
(NTiC), reached a significant milestone in a multi-year
collaboration for Direct Metal Deposition (DMD) technology.
Together the companies have achieved technology readiness level six
(TRL6), demonstrating the ability to
meet aerospace material requirements.
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NTiC has developed a "near-net-shape" manufacturing technology
that enables titanium components to be built up close to the final
shape using titanium feedstock instead of a large titanium block.
The process reduces waste, uses less energy and is significantly
faster.
"This is a significant achievement for the aerospace industry,"
said Bill Smith, Spirit AeroSystems
director of technology development. "Titanium is an expensive and
difficult material to manufacture. By having near-net-shape product
forms, Spirit is able to reduce costs. Additionally, this direct
from digital process can reduce the time to market for new parts by
at least 60 percent."
The process transforms titanium feedstock into complex
components that are up to 70 – 80 percent complete. Traditional
titanium machining may utilize only 10 percent of the raw material
with 90 percent of it discarded as waste. In addition to
significantly reducing the amount of raw material used, the process
provides much shorter lead times, design flexibility, and reduces
the overall cost to machine parts.
"The aerospace industry is by far the largest and most demanding
titanium segment in the world, and achieving TRL6 is a major milestone," said Jon Andre Lokke, CEO of NTiC. "We are very
pleased with the cooperation and support we have from Spirit and we
are now eager to complete the qualification process and start
producing parts for the aerospace industry."
Spirit and NTiC have worked closely to develop NTiC's DMD
process for producing Ti6Al4V material for use in commercial
aerospace applications. The milestone confirms the capability of
NTiC's material to meet the requirements for aircraft structural
components.
Spirit and NTiC are currently working under a cooperative
agreement to complete qualification of the process that will lead
to widespread aerospace application. The qualification effort is
expected to be complete in 2014 allowing structural designers to
use the DMD process for new and existing airplane programs.
On the web: www.spiritaero.com
On Twitter: @SpiritAero
About Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.
Spirit AeroSystems,
with headquarters in Wichita,
Kan., USA, is one of the world's largest non-OEM designers
and manufacturers of aerostructures for commercial aircraft. In
addition to its Wichita and
Chanute facilities in Kansas, Spirit has locations in Tulsa and McAlester,
Okla.; Kinston, N.C.;
Nashville, Tenn.; Prestwick,
Scotland; Preston, England; Subang, Malaysia; and Saint-Nazaire, France. In the U.S., Spirit's core products
include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components.
Additionally, Spirit provides aftermarket customer support
services, including spare parts, maintenance/repair/overhaul, and
fleet support services in North
America, Europe and
Asia. Spirit Europe produces wing components for a host of
customers, including Airbus.
About Norsk Titanium Components AS
Norsk Titanium Components is a Norwegian company, founded by
Alf Bjorseth's Scatec AS in 2007 and
has since had a dedicated team developing the company's production
technologies. Presently, production of titanium components and
parts are under way in the plant at Eggemoen Aviation and
Technology Park, located outside Honefoss, Norway.
Learn more; www.norsktitnium.no
SOURCE Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.