Runge_Kutta

I just noticed something that speaks to a bright future for titanium
in industries where astronomical prices cannot be supported. That
would include virtually all consumer applications.

The biggest rub with titanium is the cost. Not too long ago, a new process
was developed that had the potential to dramatically reduce the price. It
is called the "FFC Cambridge Process." You can see that your federal
government has decided to get behind the process by pumping our
biggest titanium producer with money to (hopefully) mature the process.

........ your tax dollars at work........

Here's the blurb ( http://www.timet.com )

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Titanium Metals Corporation (ticker: TIE, exchange: New York Stock Exchange) News Release - 4-Apr-2003
TIMET Announces Funding to Develop New Titanium Technology

DENVER, April 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Titanium Metals Corporation ("TIMET") (NYSE: TIE) announced today that it has been selected by the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ("DARPA") to receive approximately $12.3 million in government funding over the next four years to lead a program aimed at commercializing the "FFC Cambridge Process." The FFC Cambridge Process, developed by Dr. Derek Fray and others at the University of Cambridge, represents a potential breakthrough technology in the process of extracting titanium from titanium-bearing ores.

As part of the program, TIMET will be leading a team of scientists from major defense contractors, including General Electric Aircraft Engines, United Defense Limited Partners and Pratt & Whitney (a division of United Technologies Corporation), as well as the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Cambridge. In connection with the program, TIMET has negotiated a development and production license for the FFC Cambridge Process technology from British Titanium plc. TIMET will conduct the development work at its technical laboratory in Henderson, Nevada.

Commenting on the program, J. Landis Martin, TIMET's Chairman, President & CEO, said, "TIMET is very honored that its proposal to lead this development effort was selected by DARPA after consideration of a wide variety of submissions from other leading companies in this field. While there is a great deal of work to be done and success is by no means a certainty, we see this as a very significant opportunity, working with some of the leading minds in titanium metallurgy, to achieve a truly meaningful reduction in the cost of producing titanium metal. If successful, we believe this would not only make titanium a more attractive material choice within the aerospace industry, but also open the doors to many new opportunities to use titanium in other non-aerospace applications where its cost might have been an obstacle."

TIMET, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, is a leading worldwide producer of titanium metal products. Information on TIMET is available on the internet at http://www.timet.com .
SOURCE
Titanium Metals Corporation

CONTACT:
J. Landis Martin
Chairman
President & Chief Executive Officer of Titanium Metals Corporation
+1-303-296-5600
Web site: http://www.timet.com

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Butta

Very interesting my friend, thanks for the info.

Guest

I've held stock in that company for a little over a year ...I think it's still a good long-term buy :yesnod:

SWCDuke

Ever wonder how many Z06 titanium exhaust systems you can make from a former Soviet Union titanium hulled submarine? ;)

Duke

Rocketblock

:withstupid: :lolg: :lolg:

Bigdaddypr

:thumbs: :iagree:

Wadoka

Ti is a pain to machine. It eats inserts, and it doesn't want to break a chip - it likes to make huge curls instead of chipping.

It's not very stable while being machined. The stock we get has a lot of residual stress so that you're constantly having to take skim cuts, flip-flopping the parts, etc.

That said, it is WAY cool to walk over and pick up a piece of millwork that is nearly as light as a feather, and so strong...

Russia and South Africa still have the greater part of the world's reserves of Ti.

LongTimer

My father worked at Rockwell on the Apolo, B-1 and many other projects that used Ti extensively. He said that they had to use special inspection procedures for each Ti part because they were prone to crack and fisure when produced. He's been retired for almost 20 years, so I'm sure processes have improved.

SomeDay

It can be a pain to mill, but it cuts really nice on a lathe. Inconel, now that's some mean stuff to work with!

Wadoka

Our shop has never had to do any Ti turning. I know what you mean about the Inconel, though. We have a project running through the shop right now that is the same item manufactured out of four different materials because the customer wants to test to see what lives the longest in his application. We're using 304L and 316L stainless, AL6XN "Super stainless" and C22 Hastelloy. The nickel alloys and high-nickel stainless steels are so much fun...