Norsk Titanium Completes TRL 8 Certification: 3D Printed RPD Components Pass Stringent Testing

Just announced today, Norsk Titanium AS has now achieved their Technology Readiness Level Eight (TRL 8), after completing a test plan that was coordinated and launched through the FAA several years ago.

Norsk Titanium (NTi), based in Hønefoss, Norway, is an additive manufacturing company specializing in aerospace-grade titanium that we’ve covered continually of late as they have gained new investment partners due to their success in DMD technology, partnered in plans to build a $125 million 3D printing facility, as well as developing their patented Rapid Plasma Deposition (RPD) technology.

2015 Norsk Gen 4 Production RPD Machine

Norsk’s RPD technology was indeed the center of this test plan, and successful completion demonstrates that the titanium parts are able to meet stringent requirements for aerospace. This will allow them to supply the technology to leaders in aerospace and defense manufacturing for final certification and airframe integration.

With their new TRL8 status, Norsk Titanium can begin delivering these parts for aerospace and defense applications as early as 2016, in line with their plan to being creating a worldwide supply base to meet aerospace industry demand.

“This was a very exciting program for us to conduct,” said Westmoreland Vice President of Operations Mike Rossi. “Norsk Titanium has done a great job of creating and maturing a new manufacturing technology and successfully navigating their RPD process through tensile, compression, pin bearing, shear and numerous fatigue tests at our facility.”

With expanding operations, strategic alliances in Europe, and the upcoming groundbreaking of the world’s first industrial-scale additive manufacturing facility in the United States, the globally dynamic company maintains their hold as the leader in producing complex titanium components.

“Working closely with Westmoreland, we have concisely documented how our innovative technology lives up to the highest standards of performance and integration under aerospace certification testing,” said Norsk Titanium President & Chief Executive Officer Warren M. Boley, Jr. “We subjected 1,300 structural titanium aircraft samples to an unrelenting barrage of static and fatigue tests and the results confirm what we already knew—Norsk Titanium’s RPD process is ready for the rigors of commercial aviation.”

Moving into line with meeting all of their goals for the future, NTi has also been busy filling new appointments within the company with experienced aviation and defense executives, technologies, and production experts. All of these positions are being filled to offer support of new part qualification demand, and ‘to meet the escalating needs of current aerospace customers.’ According to their press release, the delivery of commercial aviation qualification parts is now underway. The first approvals are expected in early 2016, which will lead to comprehensive commercial production of titanium aerospace components by the second half of 2016.

Their enormous new facility, said to cover 200,000 square feet, is being built in Plattsburgh, NY. The state-of-the-art factory, funded as a part of a private-public bid and partnership, will actually be owned by the state of New York, but operated by NTi. The State University of New York (SUNY) Polytechnic Institute will be involved in the program as well. With plans for the factory to house several dozen printers, it is expected to be fully functional by the end of next year.  Discuss this news in the Norsk Titanium Certification forum thread on 3DPB.com.