Sweden-based Sandvik’s new powder plant in Sandviken, producing titanium and nickel-based super-alloys, has received the ‘AS9100 Revision D’ certification for deliveries to the aerospace industry. Keith Murray, Sandvik Additive Manufacturing vice-president of global sales, said: “Having atomised fine metal powders for more than 40 years, and supplying titanium to the aerospace industry since the 1980s, Sandvik is no stranger to powder atomisation or the requirements of the most demanding industries.”

Sandvik’s powder plant for Osprey titanium and nickel-based super-alloys was opened at the end of 2019, and since then, work has been on-going to ramp up production at the automated plant. All processes have been fine-tuned including the qualifying of powders to ensure the best possible consistency, morphology and quality suitable for additive manufacturing (AM).

Mr Murray continued: “Now we are one of few companies that has the new and prestigious ‘AS 9100D’ quality certification for our Osprey titanium powder and nickel-based super-alloys used for AM. It is a true milestone, which will facilitate many customer collaborations going forward. Imagine what 158 years of leading materials expertise can do for your additive process.”

Titanium has exceptional material properties — it is strong yet light, offers high levels of corrosion resistance and is bio-compatible. However, the cost and complexity of machining from titanium billet have historically restricted its use to high-value, low-volume industries such as aerospace, medical and defence.

Titanium powders
The launch of titanium powders for AM supports a growing trend towards the 3-D printing of titanium parts – and the shift towards sustainable manufacturing. The additive process results in far less material waste than traditional subtractive techniques, and allows for new levels of design freedom which is opening up the use of titanium to other industries including automotive and tooling. Sandvik’s own Lightweight CoroMill 390 is an example of the latter, where the additive version of the mill is more than 80% lighter and up to 200% more productive.

Powder metallurgy is also labeled as a ‘recognised green technology’ – and the net-shape capability of technologies like AM not only means that material waste is minimised, but also that great energy efficiency can be achieved, by eliminating manufacturing steps.

Mr Murray continued: “If combining this with the opportunities with a light and strong material like titanium, the sustainability advantages can be enormous. Weight reduction is, for example, a constant key issue for the aerospace industry, driven both by fuel cost and carbon footprint. The same is true for cars and trucks, and everything else that moves. Each kg of weight loss on an airplane saves about $3,000 per year in fuel – and can make a great difference for the planet.”

Traceability
Sandvik can offer a high level of traceability for its titanium powder, which is made possible by having the full supply chain in-house – from titanium sponge to finished powder. The new titanium powder process uses advanced electrode inert gas atomisation technology to produce highly consistent and repeatable titanium powder with low oxygen and nitrogen levels. The automated production process is also supported by several industrial robots and a dedicated downstream sieving, blending and packing facility.

Mr Murray explained: “In additive manufacturing it is essential to use high-quality metal powders with consistent quality, adapted to the different additive manufacturing processes. Our highly automated manufacturing process ensures excellent consistency – and the powders demonstrate optimal particle size distribution.”

Kristian Egeberg, Sandvik Additive Manufacturing president, concluded: “Sandvik is a world leader in metal powder for AM with the widest alloy programme on the market. Titanium powders represent the latest application of 158 years of materials knowledge and R&D — and more than 40 years in-house powder manufacturing capabilities. The AS9100D certification together with all our experts in materials, metal powder and additive manufacturing, means we can now help our customers succeed even faster in this high-growth area.”

The first two titanium powders produced at the plant are Osprey Ti-6Al-4V Grade 5 and Osprey Ti-6Al-4V Grade 23. The nickel-based super-alloys are Osprey Alloy 625 and Osprey Alloy 718 — other alloys are available on request. In addition to the new AS9100D certification, the plant is also certified according to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.