Norsk Titanium shortens part development time with release of RPD Builder
Norsk Titanium AS, Hønefoss, Norway, has announced the successful deployment and validation of RPD Builder™, an internally developed computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) tool expected to significantly shorten part development timelines. The software has been developed over the past three years and incorporates the full knowledge base of Norsk Titanium’s process metallurgy and machine controls into a single design toolkit.
“This is a tremendous accomplishment for Norsk Titanium,” stated Nicholas Mayer, Norsk Titanium’s vice president of Commercial. “RPD Builder is a significant enabler as we move into more industrial manufacturing and engineering services markets. It will give our customers added flexibility and allow them to explore part design options independent from our manufacturing engineering team.”
Norsk Titanium’s metal Additive Manufacturing machines incorporate a propriety Rapid Plasma Deposition® (RPD®) process, a form of plasma-based Directed Energy Deposition (DED). RPD Builder is intended to enable users to rapidly translate customers’ final part geometries into optimised RPD Form designs. It ultimately produces the code needed for any of Norsk Titanium’s Merke IV® RPD machines to additively manufacture the part preform, regardless of location.
Norsk Titanium’s manufacturing engineers have already employed the software on multiple part development efforts, reportedly reducing development time to as little as two days.
“Our Material Process & Product team has evaluated the microstructure of the deposited preforms and validated that the material produced with the RPD Builder™ is consistent with our proven process,” added Odd Terje Lium, Norsk Titanium’s vice president of Engineering. “We were able to validate that the software is capable of producing complex geometries on multiple machines in both our development and production facilities.”
Initial applications of RPD Builder are expected to come as Norsk Titanium expands into markets beyond commercial aerospace. The CAM tool will be deployed under licence to customers who desire more insight into part development than Norsk Titanium’s current built-to-manufacture finished products.
