1. Dr Dawie van Vuuren Mr Hardus Greyling
Titanium metal production and additive manufacturing – contributing to a vibrant new industry
Dr Dawie van Vuuren
Mr Hardus Greyling

2. Outlay
South Africa’s global Ti position
South Africa’s Ti beneficiation strategy
Primary Ti metal production
Large area high speed additive manufacturing

3. South African’s global Ti position in 2006
World
Approximate Value
Reserves
220 Mt TiO2
1300 Mt TiO2
Mineral Production
1090 kt TiO2
5200 kt TiO2
$ 175m p.a.
$ 840 m.p.a.
Slag Production
$ 490m p.a.
$ 2500 m.p.a.
Pigment Production
~20 kt TiO2
5100 kt TiO2
$ 37m p.a.
$ m.p.a.
Sponge Production
Nil
125 kt p.a. Ti
$ 1250 m.p.a.
Ingot Production
145 kt p.a. Ti
$ 2600 m.p.a.
Mill Products
~90 kt p.a. Ti
$ 4500 m.p.a.

4. Titanium Centre of Competence Supplier Development
Industrialisation & Commercialisation
R&D Platforms
Technology Development SA
Ti Industry
Supplier Development
Design, Simulation and Modelling
CSIR, ULim, Wits, NMMU
Laboratories and R&D Facilities
CSIR, NLC, SU, UCT, UP, NMMU, UJ, CUT, VUT, Wits, Mintek, Necsa
Physical Metallurgy and Characterisation
UCT, CSIR, UP, VUT
Primary
Metal
Production
CSIR
Powder
Consolidation SU
UCT
Investment
Casting
Friction
Welding
NMMU
High Speed
Additive
Manufacturing
CSIR, NLC
Aerosud
CUT
High
Performance
Machining
Fh IWU
Sheet
Forming
Developing and commercialising Technology Building Blocks for the South African Titanium Industry
Oil & Gas
Marine
Chemical
Automotive
Aerospace
Medical 4

5. Final Products/Components: USD/kg 150 – 20,000
Cheaper Titanium powder – Changing the industry
Typical prices
Ti Powder
10 USD/kg Ti
Final Products/Components: USD/kg 150 – 20,000
Ti Powder
40 USD/kg Ti
Ti Mill Products
50 USD/kg Ti
Ti Ingot
20 USD/kg Ti
Ti Sponge
10 USD/kg Ti
Current SA industry
TiCl4
4.4 USD/kg Ti
TiO2 Pigment
5.3 USD/kg Ti
TiO2 Slag
1.45 USD/kg Ti
Ilmenite
1 USD/kg Ti

6. Titanium Centre of Competence Primary Ti Production (CSIR Process)
Industrialisation plan for CSIR-Ti project
2011
2012
2013
2014
2016
2015
2017
2018
2021
2022
2020
2019
Titanium Centre of Competence
Primary Ti Production (CSIR Process)
STAGE 2:
Basic Development
STAGE 3:
Pilot Phase
(2kg/h)
STAGE 4: Feasibility Phase
STAGE 4 Implementation:
Demonstration Plant
500 tpa Commercially Pure (CP) Ti
STAGE 5:
World-Class Plant:
tpa CP Ti
Completed
R29m
R m
Concept design
Cost estimate & feasibility
Basic design
Cost estimate & approval
Detail design
Construction
Commissioning
Operation
R700m – R1bn
CSIR
Commercial partners

7. CSIR-Ti pilot plant flow diagram

8. CSIR-Ti process advantages
Continuous operation - 60 years after scaling up the batch Kroll process, there is still not a commercially proven continuous process.
Economy of scale with lower capital and operating costs
Downstream production and fabrication costs of titanium components are significantly less for Ti powder than for Ti sponge.
CSIR-Ti process has lowest process temperature of all developments in the world that is currently being tested on a similar scale of operation.
Scaling up is less risky with less corrosion, less salt entrapment, reduced reagent and by-product vapour pressures and less hazards.
Closing of metal recycle loop much simpler than in other processes
It is the only direct titanium powder production process that is currently being considered that gives the means to control Ti powder morphology.

9. Panoramic view of CSIR-Ti pilot plant

10. Additive Manufacturing (or “3D printing”)
Additive manufacturing (AM) is defined by ASTM as “the process of joining materials to make objects from 3D model data, usually layer upon layer, as opposed to subtractive manufacturing methodologies.” 10

11. Additive Manufacturing (or “3D printing”)
Industries served
AM used in final part production
Source: Wohler report 2014 11

12. Additive Manufacturing in aerospace
Manufacturing of high-value low-volume components
Reduction of machining and processing time and material waste
Manufacturing of parts in exotic materials
Manufacturing of complex 3-D parts
Manufacturing of assemblies
Manufacturing of tools 12

13. AM in the Aerospace industry
“Composite materials make up 50% of the primary structure of the 787 including the fuselage and wing” 13

14. Additive Manufacturing
Ti beneficiation
Billet
Ingot
Sponge
Extensive Machining
90+%
<5%
Waste
Ore
Powder
Min Machining
Final Part
Additive Manufacturing
South African Development
AeroSwift
South African Capability 14

15. Present limitations/opportunities
Limited production rate
Inefficient laser manipulation
Limited energy input
Serial processing
Limited part size
High Cost
Capital cost
Production cost
Material cost
Aerospace Qualification 15

16. Aeroswift - Objectives
Design and construct a large area, powder bed AM system, for metallic components:
Powder layer manufacturing
High speed system for
Production of large metal parts
High throughput
Versatile to support optimisation of parameter field
Build volume:
2m x 0.6m x 0.6m
Scalable build volume
Pre-heating and environmental control
Materials that can be accommodated
Ti-6Al-4V
Stainless Steel alloys
Inconel
Other metals 16

17. Laser Metals Deposition vs Selective Laser Melting
Characteristic
Laser Metal Deposition (Direct Energy Deposition)
Selective Laser Melting
(Powder Bed Fusion)
Materials
Most metals,
functionally graded builds
Most metals
Part size
Depends on handling system
600mm x 500mm x 450 mm
Aeroswift 2m x 620 mm x 620 mm
Part complexity
Limited
Nearly unlimited
Build rate
mm3/sec
Commercial systems mm3 sec, Aeroswift up to 60 mm3/sec
Base
Many geometries, also existing parts
Flat plate
Surface roughness (Rz)
60 to 100 µm
50 to 70 µm 17

18. Aeroswift in the AM technology landscape
HIGHER VALUE
Powder bed
systems
Part complexity
Aeroswift
Powder
Deposition
systems
Wire deposition
systems
<500mm
>2000mm
Part size 18

19. Aeroswift – Summary of 2014 Achievements
Phase 1: Machine design and construction completed
Phase 2: Process development and optimisation started. (Nov 2014)
Machine testing, evaluation and optimisation
Parameter testing and optimisation
Milestone: End 2017: Flight-ready demonstrator part
Process development achievements
Consolidation rates up to 60mm3 /sec demonstrated
Low sample porosity (lower than 0.5%)
Commercialisation strategy develop and presently being implemented 19

20. Progress – Process development
Sample
¼ Charpy impact toughness at 25°C(J)
Vickers Micro
Hardness(HV)
Ti6Al4V manufactured by 400W laser powder bed fusion machine 6
Milled and annealed reference sample
7-8
350
Ti6Al4V made by Aeroswift high power laser powder bed fusion technology
8-10
© CSIR 20

21. Hardus Greyling Dr. Dawie v Vuuren
Thank you
Questions?
Hardus Greyling Dr. Dawie v Vuuren