Metal Powder Works’ titanium powder validated for aerospace cold spray use
Metal Powder Works Ltd (MPW), headquartered in Pittsburgh, USA, has announced the qualification of its commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti) powder for cold spray applications. The powder has been independently validated by a US aerospace-qualified partner, HAMR Industries LLC (“HAMR”), following the same handbook used by global OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers.
The approval is said to represent a critical validation of the powder’s technical specifications and commercial viability for advanced manufacturing applications. It met the strength requirements as published in MMPDS (Metallic Materials Properties Development and Standardization). MMPDS is a source of statistically based design allowable properties for metallic materials and fasteners used in many different commercial and military aerospace applications around the world.
Achieving these strength values is said to confirm that MPW’s CP-Ti powder performs on par with, or better than, conventional wrought titanium and matches the performance of powders produced using legacy methods.
“This achievement validates our ongoing mission,” said MPW Managing Director John Barnes. “We are proving that our consistent powder production technology delivers not just more cost-effective powders, but also high-performance materials that meet the most demanding industry standards.”
This offers an opportunity to enter another key segment of the CP-Ti powder market, which was valued at approximately $847 million in 2024. MPW has identified this market as a strategic priority due to constrained supply conditions and robust demand across multiple high-value industries that require materials with exceptional lightweight strength, superior corrosion resistance, and proven biocompatibility.
Key market applications include:
- Aerospace & Defence: Critical applications such as airframe components, precision fasteners, and advanced component repair through cold spray technology, where material reliability and weight reduction are paramount.
- Medical & Dental: Essential for biomedical implants, precision surgical instruments, and specialised dental devices that demand both biocompatibility and mechanical performance in challenging biological environments.
- Energy & Chemical Processing: Utilised in demanding applications such as specialised valves, process piping systems, and heat exchangers where resistance to aggressive chemicals and high-temperature performance are critical.
- Marine & Offshore: Provides long-term durability for components exposed to harsh seawater environments, where conventional materials would fail due to corrosion over extended service periods.
- Additive Manufacturing & Repair: Enables near-net shape production capabilities and advanced surface restoration techniques, supporting both new manufacturing processes and equipment lifecycle extension.
Beyond cold spray applications, MPW is actively engaging with customers across traditional CP-Ti market segments, where initial testing has yielded comparable performance results.
HAMR Industries CEO Michael Schmitt added, “The MPW CP Ti worked extremely well in our system; there were no flowability issues, and we achieved a very high deposition efficiency using air as our process gas. We are awaiting mechanical test results, but the microstructure appeared comparable to those of other CP Ti materials that we have processed.”
