Closing the loop on recycled titanium

Aerospace continues to be the engine driving the titanium scrap market, while demand for the metal in industrial, medical, and consumer goods has lagged.

Beginning in early 2014, surging aerospace manufacturing has boosted the titanium market, says Edward J. Newman, senior vice president of United Alloys and Metals Inc., Columbus, Ohio, an international processor of titanium, stainless steel, and superalloy scrap. Newman, board member for the Denver, Colorado-based International Titanium Association (ITA), says ever since the great economic meltdown of 2008-2009 there has been an “oversupply of metal at every stage of the titanium market. It took a long time to burn off that inventory. Now inventories are under control, and the supply chain has leveled out. Today everyone is happy with business conditions in the titanium scrap market, in terms of volumes and demand.”

These positive business trends for titanium scrap should continue through the balance of this year and into 2016.

Other titanium scrap processors and distributors concur with Newman. Vasily Semeniuta, president of Grandis Titanium Co., Rancho Santa Margarita, California, describes the titanium scrap market as “in balance,” adding, “Supply is a bit more than demand, but there is plenty of work and plenty of scrap available.”

Another West Coast scrap processor says thanks to the aerospace sector, the titanium scrap market remains healthy, especially when compared with the current fortunes of the steel and copper scrap. Those markets have sagged in recent months because of oversupply, a strong dollar, and sluggish business conditions in Europe and Asia.

Newman explains that the industrial market typically is spotty when it comes to consistently generating demand for titanium, and in turn, for scrap volumes. “It goes up and down, big project to big project,” he says, citing chemical processing, heat exchanger, and desalination programs as prime examples. Medical and consumer, by comparison, are small, specialty markets for titanium.
 

Closed-loop recycling systems

Two factors have altered the dynamics of the titanium scrap market. First is the ongoing focus for developing closed-loop revert programs in the aerospace business. It’s a loop that stretches from vendors to original equipment manufacturers and includes melting, forging, machining, finishing, and assembly facilities.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes has been the primary driver in promoting closed-loop scrap recycling for titanium. During the past three years, Boeing executives have emphasized closed-loop recycling as a critical element in the titanium supply chain. When it comes to sourcing titanium, Boeing is looking to achieve a system balance, which takes into account demand, inventory levels, and revert volume.

It’s a recycling strategy designed to keep aerospace-quality scrap within the aerospace supply chain.

In 2013 Boeing’s closed-loop efforts recovered 8 million pounds of titanium and 13 million pounds of aluminum. For 2014, those levels were expected to reach 10 million pounds for titanium and 19 million pounds for aluminum.

Second, upstream consolidation in the titanium supply chain is affecting the flow of scrap. Major titanium producers, in recent years, have purchased titanium casting, forging, and assembly operations. Newman says the thrust is for titanium producers to capture the manufacturing resources offered by these acquisitions, thereby expanding their reach in the supply chain. The scrap generated by these acquisitions translates as an important side benefit.

In November 2014, Pittsburgh-based aluminum giant Alcoa finalized its purchase of Firth Rixson, a British producer of seamless titanium and superalloy rolled rings for jet engines. Alcoa officials say, Firth Rixson strengthens the company’s aerospace portfolio and “accelerates Alcoa’s transformation to a multi-material enterprise. The acquisition increases its offerings made of nickel-based superalloys, titanium, stainless steel, and advanced aluminum alloys.”

Precision Castparts Corp. in Portland, Oregon, has moved aggressively on the acquisition trail and in early 2013 completed its deal to buy titanium producer Titanium Metals Corp. (Timet).

These are not the only examples of acquisitions and producer consolidation. In 2011, ATI purchased the forging and investment casting assets of Ladish Co. Inc. In 2012, RTI International Metals Inc., a global supplier of titanium and specialty metal products, acquired Remmele Engineering Inc., an integrated producer of titanium components. And in March 2015, Alcoa agreed to acquire RTI.
 

LIBS technology

Given the growing importance of scrap in the titanium supply chain, especially as dictated by the aerospace sector, several companies are developing technologies to further enhance the material’s value.

One group, VDM Metals GmbH, Werdohl, Germany, will present a technical paper, “Electron Beam Cold-Hearth Remelting of Titanium and Scrap Control by LIBS Technology,” at ITA’s TITANIUM EUROPE Conference and Exhibition, which will be held May 11-13, 2015, in Birmingham, U.K.

Electron beam cold-hearth melting is an established technology that provides superior refining for titanium. VDM Metals has been researching new recycling strategies in collaboration with Leibniz University of Hannover, Germany, and other industrial partners. In its paper, VDM Metals explains that eliminating impurities and inclusions (porosity) from titanium alloy scrap is essential if the scrap is to be used in critical aerospace rotating parts. Titanium is a difficult material to mill compared with steel or aluminum, which results in high tool wear. Tool material particles represent a source of contamination for titanium scrap. Contamination can also come from other scrap metals, welding electrodes, and coolant/lubricant materials.

“The melting of Ti-6Al-4V (a workhorse aerospace alloy) in an electron beam furnace is a challenge,” the paper states. “It has been shown that it’s absolutely necessary to obtain a stable process with a constant melting rate. The scrap should always be free from contamination.”

To meet stringent aerospace specifications, VDM Metals is developing a system designed to provide 100% scrap inspection using a technology known as laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The project encompasses continuous, inline scrap control with integrated analysis to identify low- and high-density inclusions.

VDM Metals is currently operating a pilot plant to demonstrate the system, with an LIBS unit built by SECOPTA GmbH, Berlin. The technology, if proven effective, would garner significant interest in the North American titanium market. It’s estimated there are at least 14 cold-hearth furnaces operating in the United States. Six new furnaces have come online during the last seven years, including RTI’s facility in Canton, Ohio, and Timet’s installation in Morgantown, Pennsylvania.

These technology developments potentially could be good news for companies processing and consuming titanium scrap.

International Titanium Association
www.titanium.org

About the authors: Michael Gabrielle is an independent freelance writer who works on behalf of the International Titanium Association. Jennifer Simpson is the executive director of the International Titanium Association and may be reached at jsimpson@titanium.org.