Titomic TKF1000 cold spray machine installed at TWI’s Cambridge facility

June 30, 2022

The TKF1000 cold spray machine installed at TWI’s Cambridge facility (Courtesy Titomic/TWI)
The TKF1000 cold spray machine installed at TWI’s Cambridge facility (Courtesy Titomic/TWI)

The Welding Institute (TWI), headquartered in Abington, Cambridge, UK, has announced the installation of a TKF1000 Titomic Kinetic Fusion (TKF) cold spray machine from Titomic Limited, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, at its facility in Cambridge.

The TKF1000 model, which TWI ordered last year, uses a cold spray process to additively manufacture industrial-scale parts and complex surface coatings. TKF is a patented process for the application of cold-gas dynamic spraying of titanium or titanium alloy particles onto a scaffold to produce a load-bearing structure, and was co-developed by Titomic and Australia’s national science agency and innovation catalyst, CSIRO.

TKF technology accelerates metal particles to supersonic speeds by injecting them into a jetstream, which sprays the particles from a nozzle to collide and stick with a surface through plastic deformation. This particle build-up rapidly produces near-net-shape metal parts. TKF is said to be capable of increasing productivity, lowering costs, and reducing waste by 80% compared to traditional machining.

Herbert Koeck, Managing Director of Titomic, commented, “The partnership with TWI, one of the world’s leading research and technology organisations, furthers our credentials in the aerospace sector. The UK government is awarding grants to technology that helps improve its aerospace manufacturing, so the capabilities of the TKF1000 have been validated through it being a part of the ATI programme.”

“The sale of TKF Systems for research and development is part of Titomic’s diversified revenue strategy, which also includes joint ventures and sales from consumables, and machine solutions in key sectors such as defence and aerospace,” he continued. “TWI will be able to unlock new possibilities with the TKF1000 and to see further advancements of aerospace technology. We look to continuing this partnership with TWI’s industry base in the years ahead.”

The TKF1000 was acquired with a grant from the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme, a £3.9 billion joint government and industry initiative to offer funding for research and technology development in the UK.

Henry Begg, TWI section manager, stated, “TWI is excited to expand our cold spray capability significantly with the acquisition of the TKF1000 system. Having been active in cold spray research for the past fifteen years, we will now be able to perform larger and more complex fabrications and, working closely with Titomic and our wide Industrial Membership base, develop the potentially revolutionary opportunities this technology brings. Complementing our existing facilities for laser, arc and electron beam additive manufacture, the TKF1000 offers a fundamentally new approach to fabrication, bypassing some of the challenges associated with solidification and opening up the possibility of multi-material builds.”

www.twi-global.com

www.titomic.com

In the latest issue of Metal AM magazine

Download PDF
 

Extensive AM industry news coverage, as well as the following exclusive deep-dive articles:

  • Aluminium Additive Manufacturing: How a new generation of alloys will fuel industry growth
  • Shaping a national Additive Manufacturing ecosystem: The strategic growth of metal AM in Türkiye
  • How metal Additive Manufacturing is transforming modern hydraulic systems
  • High-performance product development in the era of computational design: a case study with nTop and NASA
  • The Additive Manufacturing of record-breaking pure copper heatsinks for high-performance computing applications
  • The Additive Manufacturing of tool steels: how non-linear modelling enables precise hardness control

Join 40,000+ other AM professionals – follow us online

Don’t miss a thing – register for our newsletter

Don't miss any new issue of Metal AM magazine, and get the latest industry news. Sign up to our twice weekly newsletter.

Register now

Looking for AM machines, metal powders or part manufacturing services?

Discover suppliers of these and more in our comprehensive advertisers’ index and buyer’s guide, available in the back of Metal AM magazine.

  • AM machines
  • Process monitoring & calibration
  • Heat treatment & sintering
  • HIP systems & services
  • Pre- & post-processing technology
  • Powders, powder production and analysis
  • Part manufacturers
  • Consulting, training & market data
Find suppliers

About Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine

Metal AM magazine, published quarterly in digital and print formats, is read by a rapidly expanding international audience.

Our audience includes component manufacturers, end-users, materials and equipment suppliers, analysts, researchers and more.

In addition to providing extensive industry news coverage, Metal AM magazine is known for exclusive, in-depth articles and technical reports.

Our focus is the entire metal AM process from design to application.

Each issue is available as an easy-to-navigate digital edition and a high-quality print publication.

Discover our magazine archive…

The free to access Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine archive offers unparalleled insight into the world of metal Additive Manufacturing from a commercial and technological perspective through:

  • Reports on visits to leading metal AM part manufacturers and industry suppliers
  • Articles on technology and application trends
  • Information on materials developments
  • Reviews of key technical presentations from the international conference circuit
  • International industry news

All past issues are available to download as free PDFs or view in your browser.

Browse the archive

Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap