Titanium supplier taking 3-D technology beyond prototyping

December 2014 - 3-D printing is growing up. The technology is shedding weight—and its hefty price tag—in exchange for a sleeker, more economical profile that produces prototypes in half the time and at half the cost of traditional methods. Able to print in hundreds of different materials, the process continues to advance manufacturing capabilities. 

Titanium and specialty metal products supplier RTI International Metals Inc., Pittsburgh, has monitored the maturation of 3-D printing, investing years of research and development in the emerging field. RTI has also gained field experience by partnering with an aerospace equipment manufacturer to prototype printed powder metal parts for advanced design aircraft. 

Earlier this year RTI became one of an elite group of companies that have moved beyond prototyping to form commercial relationships. The 60-year-old company has acquired Austin, Texas-based Directed Manufacturing, a step that pushes RTI to the forefront of technology many feel is changing the face of manufacturing.

Altered states

“Rapid prototyping is a powerful first step, but we’re progressing beyond that stage to engage customers in collaborations to deliver a growing range of parts that take advantage of the promise of additive manufacturing,” says Kathryn Jackson, chief technology officer for RTI. She cites other advantages. The ability to produce near net shapes and consolidate parts helps to reduce costs through increased production speed and reduced assembly and finishing. The portability of 3-D printers enhances efficiency by giving RTI the ability to move manufacturing closer to its customers. 

As a tool, the process puts RTI in the driver’s seat when it comes to effecting changes in the way components are designed and qualified. “It puts us at the forefront of this transformation,” Jackson says, referring to the impact additive manufacturing is having on countless industries.

“The most successful rocket engine products in terms of performance and economic value are those designed specifically for the additive manufacturing process,” she explains. “Design-for-print takes full advantage of the crucial differences between additive and traditional processes.” Benefits will extend even to castings or forgings, though 3-D printed parts will require heat treating and machining to meet aerospace specifications.

In addition to qualifying parts, RTI is working with customers to characterize materials. The Directed Manufacturing acquisition allows it to leverage the organization’s commercial production experience in both metals and plastics and tap an established customer base of medical device companies and major aerospace industry prime contractors and suppliers. 

Additive manufacturing capabilities include Direct Metal Laser Sintering and Plastic Laser Sintering systems. As RTI’s flagship division for its advanced additive product line, the organization is doing business as RTI Directed Manufacturing Inc. Products include aerospace airfoils, rakes, guide vanes and injection nozzles as well as surgical tools, medical implants and complex fasteners.

Next steps

“To realize the value of additive manufacturing, the design process has to evolve,” Jackson adds. “Taking a traditionally designed component and manufacturing it in a new way doesn’t fully make use of the advantages associated with these techniques. As RTI develops 3-D printing, designing parts specifically for additive manufacturing will much more readily drive cost reductions and speed products to market.”

As a transformational technology, Jackson believes 3-D techniques will also mean changes to the manufacturing process. “Those changes will most likely be expressed in significantly closer relationships between how material is manufactured and the design of the product as well as the dynamics between suppliers and customers,” she says. “It also will affect the geography of the manufacturing process. For example, NASA is using a 3-D printer on the space station. As the technology continues to develop, we will take innovative, cost effective, high-quality 3-D printing and other additive manufacturing solutions to our customers at their manufacturing or maintenance facilities.” MM