Manufacturing of high added value titanium components. A South African perspective

Conference of the South African Advanced Materials Initiative 2018

Dimitrov, D.^1 ; Uheida, E.^1 ; Oosthuizen, G.^1 ; Blaine, D.^2 ; Laubscher, R.^3 ; Sterzing, A.^4 ; Blau, P.^4 ; Gerber, W.^5 ; Damm, O.F.R.A.^1

Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Stellenbosch University, South Africa^1

Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Stellenbosch University, South Africa^2

Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Johannesburg, South Africa^3

Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology, Germany^4

Aerosud Aviation, South Africa^5

关键词: Biomedical applications;    Difficult to machine materials;    Global manufacturing;    Manufacturing challenges;    Multi-disciplinary research;    Resource efficiencies;    Strength to weight ratio;    Technology readiness levels;   

Others  :  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1757-899X/430/1/012009/pdf
DOI  :  10.1088/1757-899X/430/1/012009

来源: IOP

【 摘 要 】

South Africa has significant titanium reserves and is developing strategies to not only provide this raw material on global markets, but to manufacture complex titanium alloy products and participate fully in global supply chains. Pursuing more sustainable process chains, manufacturers are constantly striving to enhance the resource efficiency of their high added value processes. Titanium alloys are used comprehensively in aerospace and biomedical applications, due to its favourable strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. These properties, however, contribute to the manufacturing challenges, classifying it as a difficult-to-machine material. Various input factors affect the efficiency of a hybrid process chain. The objectives of this multidisciplinary research group were to demonstrate the reduction of material wastage by up to 50% and machining time up to 20% for selected titanium components. The results clearly demonstrate the ability to increase the technology readiness levels of the selected components and to develop competitive hybrid titanium process chains that will enable South Africa to integrate more into global manufacturing value chains.