TTT Group to launch HIP business with Hiperbaric HIP 107
TTT Group, headquartered in Bergara, Gipuzkoa, Spain, is set to establish a new Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) business unit, TTT HIP, which is scheduled to begin operations in 2027. The business will incorporate a HIP 107 press from Hiperbaric, based in Burgos, Spain, and once complete, will provide HIP alongside the group’s existing heat treatment and surface treatment capabilities.
The company reported that the project represents the largest investment in its sixty-five-year history.
“For TTT Group, incorporating Hiperbaric’s HIP technology responds to a clear strategy of diversification and high added value, with a particular focus on the aerospace and space sectors,” stated Xabier Berasategi, CEO of TTT Group. “It also opens opportunities in sectors such as energy, oil & gas and biomedicine, as well as in technologies such as Additive Manufacturing and near net shape PM HIP.”
The company expects the new capacity to support customers including OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers in the European aerospace and energy supply chains, while also expanding its activities in oil & gas, biomedical and science-related applications.
Hiperbaric HIP 107
The Hiperbaric HIP 107 ordered by TTT Group is designed to operate at pressures of up to 2,000 bar (200 MPa) and temperatures of up to 1,400°C, with an option to reach 2,000°C. The press incorporates Hiperbaric’s Fast Cooling technology, which is intended to combine material consolidation and heat treatment within a single cycle, helping reduce cycle times and energy costs.
In aerospace, proposed applications include nickel-based superalloy turbine blades, Powder Metallurgy compressor and turbine discs, and titanium engine casings. HIP can be used in these applications to reduce internal porosity and casting defects and to support the required mechanical properties of critical components.
For space applications, TTT Group highlighted additively manufactured rocket combustion chambers and injectors produced from copper alloys including GRCop-42 and GRCop-84, as well as nickel-based alloys such as Inconel. HIP may be used to reduce internal porosity and support diffusion bonding in suitable component designs.
Energy applications identified by the company include subsea manifolds and valves produced from duplex and superduplex stainless steels, as well as components for nuclear energy systems and rotors and impellers for gas and steam turbines. In the biomedical sector, potential applications include reducing defects in cast prostheses, post-processing additively manufactured implants and processing advanced ceramic components for artificial joints.
HIP4AE project
TTT Group is also participating as the lead company in HIP4AE (HIP as Advanced Manufacturing Technology for Components for Extreme Applications). The applied R&D project forms part of Hazitek, the Basque programme supporting business R&D and managed by SPRI, the business development agency of the Basque Government.
The HIP4AE consortium also includes industrial companies and the CEIT technology centre in San Sebastián. The project is intended to develop industrial capability in advanced materials and HIP processing for components used in demanding applications.
