OSLO, Norway--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Norsk Titanium AS, the world’s pioneering supplier of aerospace-grade, additive manufactured, structural titanium components announced it has completed testing of its Rapid Plasma Deposition™ (RPD™) material with Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo- (33%) to develop, produce and test components for use in spaceflight.
Under a contract signed in 2016, Norsk Titanium collaborated with Thales Alenia Space to develop, produce and test an initial qualification component. Under the terms of the test plan, Norsk Titanium evaluated the suitability of their RPD™ material to replace near-net shape forgings for spaceflight applications. Norsk Titanium is pleased to announce that mechanical testing has been completed and the RPD™ material performed in accordance with the mutually developed requirements.
“Norsk Titanium is delighted to mature our relationship with Thales Alenia Space,” said Norsk Titanium CEO Warren M. Boley Jr. “Along with our recent commercial aerospace successes, this provides further evidence that Norsk Titanium’s Rapid Plasma Deposition™ material is ready to support the stringent requirements of the in-space market, revolutionizing how the industry incorporates titanium into their critical designs.”
Successful completion of this testing has positioned Norsk Titanium to be a leading supplier of structural additive manufactured components for the Thales Alenia Space product lines. Adoption of RPD™ material allows Thales Alenia Space to improve program performance, cutting current part buy-to-fly ratios in half and reducing lead-times by 6 months.
“Thales Alenia Space is very pleased to confirm that the Rapid Plasma Deposition™ solution from Norsk Titanium was successfully tested from a mechanical point of view. Thales Alenia Space builds larger and larger material parts using additive manufacturing, which represents an important advance during the fabrication phase,” explained Florence Montredon, Additive Manufacturing Technology Development manager at Thales Alenia Space.
About Norsk Titanium AS
Norsk Titanium AS is the world’s pioneering supplier of aerospace-grade, additive manufactured, structural titanium components. The company is distinguished in the aviation industry by its patented Rapid Plasma Deposition™ (RPD™) process that transforms titanium wire into complex components suitable for structural and safety-critical applications. Norsk Titanium is a tier-1 supplier to Boeing and is committed to cost-reducing aerostructures and jet engines for the world’s premier aerospace manufacturers. RPD™ is the world’s first FAA-approved, 3D-printed, structural titanium, delivering substantial lead-time and cost savings for aerospace, defense, and commercial customers. www.norsktitanium.com
About Thales Alenia Space
Thales Alenia Space brings over 40 years of experience to the design, integration, testing and operation of innovative space systems for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. A joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space also teams up with Telespazio to form the parent companies’ “Space Alliance”, which offers a complete range of services and solutions. Thales Alenia Space has built up unrivaled expertise in dual (civil-military) missions, constellations, flexible high-throughput payloads, altimetry, meteorology, and high-resolution radar and optical observation. The company capitalizes on its strong legacy, while also making innovation a key to its strategy. By offering a continuous stream of new products and expanding its global footprint, Thales Alenia Space has established its leadership in today’s fast-evolving space sector. Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues of about 2.4 billion euros in 2016 and has 7,980 employees in nine countries. www.thalesaleniaspace.com
