Norsk Titanium opens ‘world’s largest additive titanium factory’ in New York
October 20, 2017
Norsk Titanium US Inc has opened what it says is the world’s largest facility dedicated to titanium metal Additive Manufacturing in Plattsburgh, New York, USA. The Plattsburgh Development and Qualification Center (PDQC) was opened with a dedication ceremony attended by state and local officials on October 17, 2017.
The PDQC currently houses nine of Norsk’s proprietary Rapid Plasma Deposition™ (RPD) titanium AM machines and will produce aerospace components for Boeing and other aerospace producers. In early 2017, Norsk, in commercial agreement with Spirit AeroSystems, Kansas, USA, announced that it had received its first production order from Boeing Commercial Airplanes for the manufacture of AM structural titanium components for the 787 Dreamliner.
Spirit AeroSystems also participated in the dedication ceremony. John Pilla, Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer at Spirit, stated, “Spirit is very pleased to be standing alongside Norsk for this very critical milestone in our partnership. Spirit builds thousands of parts every day, and now with this new RPD™ facility, we will be able to deliver more cost-effective solutions with the highest possible quality to our customers. Spirit will be looking for opportunities to use this new technology and this state-of-the-art facility to deliver world-class aerostructures.”
Norsk recently announced a planned 60% expansion of the PDQC facility, targeting an additional 100 new jobs by the end of this year, 250 by the end of 2018, and 400 in 2019. “Growth has been a consistent theme for Norsk Titanium, and today was no exception,” stated Warren Boley, President and CEO of Norsk Titanium. “This dedication signifies a 300% increase in our production capacity.”
The company stated that is also partnering with the North Country Chamber of Commerce in Plattsburgh to support and promote the successful launch and growth of Norsk’s industrial-scale factory, including workforce training, economic development and STEM outreach with specific educational programmes. Examples of these programmes include the state’s Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP) at Clarkson University and the new Institute for Advanced Manufacturing at Clinton Community College.
