August 2025 Volume 7

MATERIALS Once titanium sponge is produced it must be melted down into ingots. The two most common methods for melting titanium today are Plasma Arc Cold Hearth Melting (PACM), Electron Beam Cold Hearth Melting (EBCHM), and Vacuum Arc melting (VAR) [5] . VAR, which is the more common method, especially for fabricated electrodes and refining by remelting, is a consumable electrode arc melting process where compacted titanium sponge and alloying elements are formed into a consumable electrode and melted [5] . A diagram depicting the various melting methods is shown in Figure 5. The methods, EB and PA electron beam and plasma as energy sources to melt titanium sponge, powder, and scrap in a water-cooled copper hearth and are typically used to produce pure titanium with very few impurities [5] . In the commercial production of titanium, the material is typically melted two or three times to improve the cleanliness and homogeneity of the finished ingot [5] .

Commercial Landscape of the Industry Various industry sources surveyed for this article discussed some of the challenges and future trends in the titanium forging industry. According to the source there will be a considerable increase in demand for forged titanium components, particularly in the aerospace sector where expanding aircraft production goals from major civil aircraft manufacturers are driving a considerable portion of the increased demand. However, current production levels are not likely to be considerably increased in the near term to meet this potential rise in demand due to prohibitively high costs to build new facilities or improve existing facilities according to the source. Another potentially limiting factor in the future production of titanium products, including forgings according to the survey, is the limited expansion of titanium sponge production globally with new titanium sponge production just barely replacing previously lost titanium sponge production. These factors combined mean that a short fall of titanium forgings in the aerospace sector is becoming increasingly likely, driving up the cost of titanium forgings in general. Despite potential future short falls in titanium forging, there is still a robust industry in the United States for melting and forging titanium that is unlikely to decline soon. As shown in Table 1, there are currently thirty FIA member companies that forge titanium. These companies range across North America including companies in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Presently the majority of titanium metal production is used for aerospace applications where the inherent weight, strength, temperature resistance, and corrosion properties make titanium a natural choice for many aerospace applications [8]. In addition to aerospace applications, the titanium production industry has recently been looking to expand into other industries such as automotive, infrastructure, oil and gas, and chemical production [8] . Table 1: List of FIA Members Forging Titanium Aluminum Precision Products, Inc. Anderson Shumaker Company Asahi Forge Group ATI Forged Products Bonney Forge Corporation California AMFORGE Corporation Canton Drop Forge, Inc. Komtek Forge LLC Lenape Forged Products Modern Forge Companies, LLC

(a)

(b)

(c)

Figure 5: Examples (a) PAM , (b) EBCHM , (c) VAR [6, 9, 10] After an ingot is cast, the material properties and homogeneity of the ingot are typically not suitable for direct forging into finished components therefore the titanium ingots are forged into billets before further processing. The process of forging the cast ingots into a smaller shape result in more homogeneous properties and a more refined microstructure [7] . Conventional techniques for converting ingots to billets involve high strain rate forging followed by heat treatments to improve and homogenize the grain structure by recrystallization [7] . As shown in Figure 6, the billets are then fed into conversion processes to make the various product forms (forgings, bar, plate, sheet, etc.).

Pacific Forge, Inc. Patriot Forge Co. Pursuit Aerospace Scot Forge Co. SIFCO Cleveland Division - SIFCO Forge Specialty Ring Products, Inc. Storms Forge Trinity Forge, Inc. Ulven Forging Incorporated

Charles E. Larson & Sons, Inc. Consolidated Industries, Inc. Cornell Forge Company Corry Forge Ellwood Texas Forge Finkl Steel - Composite FRISA Forjados Howmet Aerospace Illinois Forge Company

Walker Forge, Inc. Weber Metals, Inc.

Figure 6: Flow Chart of Titanium Products Manufacturing Process

FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2025 26