Norsk Titanium (NTi) (www.norsktitanium.com) has won a contract from Boeing to supply 3D-printed titanium engineering test items for commercial aircraft structural components.

The value and delivery dates of these items have not been revealed. NTi will produce titanium Ti-6Al-4V pre-forms, delivering them to Boeing for further testing and evaluation.

The aim is to demonstrate part-to-part repeatability and to optimise the processes necessary to enter into long-term production of structural components for fleet aircraft, according to NTi.

NTi CEO Warren M Boley Jr said: “We are pleased with Boeing’s thoughtful review of structural titanium components made by our Rapid Plasma Deposition (RPD) process. Together, we seek to create significant customer value by reducing cost and lead times from their premier commercial-airplane platforms.”

NTi produces aerospace-grade titanium structures at Hønefoss in Norway. Its US subsidiary is building a metal additive-manufacturing plant at the SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Plattsburgh, New York — scheduled to start in late 2017. New York State has invested $125 million in the project.

The Plattsburgh plant will initially house 20 NTi Merke IV RPD machines, capable of producing 400 tonnes per year of aerospace structural parts, although NTi plans for it to eventually have twice as many machines and a capacity of 800 tonnes per year.

The process involves feeding titanium wire into a set of plasma torches cooled by an argon shield, melting the material into a near-net shape according to a CAD-determined design. NTi claims that the process makes it possible to produce parts that will replace those currently made by forging, with shorter development and production times.