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You can now access the Industrial Edition of Titanium Today by clicking the cover image above!

ITA Medical Technology Committee Examines 3D Dynamics in Supply Chain

The International Titanium Association’s (ITA) Medical Technologies Committee has revised its strategic plan for assessing business in the global medical market, with a focus on 3D/additive manufacturing as well as underlining the importance of distributors as the key players in the supply chain.

Even though medical applications for titanium, most notably in the field of joint replacements, bone reinforcements and dental applications, has been gaining momentum for a number of years as a growth market, the Medical Technologies Committee—led by co-chairs Viv Helwig, the founder of Vested Metals Inc., and Stephen R. Smith, the president of Edge International—sees its updated strategic plan as a way to re-evaluate the medical field as an emerging market. The thrust behind this fresh perspective is to explore 3D/additive manufacturing as a means to develop “customized” implants when and where they’re needed.

Helwig explained that the committee will explore 3D/additive manufacturing technology, which offers the potential for continued growth for titanium in the medical sector. The additive process will provide the means for the use of new alloys and smaller material lots to target the needs of specific medical applications, such as implants that enable greaterosseointegration andbio-compatibility.

Distributors seek to add value for customers by providing specific alloy grades and servicing the subcontract manufacturers, Helwig said. As always, the challenge for titanium distributors is to deliver consistent material in the supply chain, with the realization thatthe titanium industry and its primarily markets can be cyclical in nature with long lead times and occasional supply constraints.Titanium also competes with stainless/cobalt alloys for medical implants. Helwig said distributors have the capability to maintain the correct type and level of inventories to service their customers. He added that Vested Metals’ primary focus is the North American supply chain.

Information posted on the Vested Metals website (www.vestedmetals.net) states that Helwig founded Vested Metals in late 2014 and serves the company in the role of president, overseeing all of the company’s activities. Their focus is on hard-to-find grades, alloys, sizes, and overall raw material metals requirements within the markets they serve. Vested Metals is based in St. Augustine, FL.

Smith agrees with Helwig regarding the potential for 3D/additive manufacturing technology in medical implants and devices. He said that, as the leaders of the ITA’s Medical Technologies Committee, he and Helwig will look to promote and educate the market on the opportunities for 3D/additive manufacturing. While titanium enjoys a strong position as a material of choice for orthopedic and trauma implants, external prosthetics and instrumentation, Smith sees the potential for titanium to be expanded in applications for spinal implants and facial/cranial implants, especially in jaw reconstruction. Smith said titanium will remain a strong player in the medical market for the foreseeable future given its inherent properties of light weight, resistance to body fluids, biocompatibility and being a non-ferromagnetic metal (for MRI safety).

As a speaker at the TITANIUM ASIA 2018 conference and exhibition, which was held last February in Singapore,Smith gave a presentation on “Titanium Technology in Medical Applications.” He estimated that the global growth for titanium medical devices for “head to toe” biomedical implants, such as internal fixation (bone plates, screws and pins), prosthetics, extremity and joint replacements, dental implants, inner body devices, and surgical instruments will see a compound annual growth rate of 3 to 5 percent during the next 10 years, with North America, Asia and Europe all expected to be competitive markets. He estimated the total medical devices market for Titanium to be 5/7,000 metric tonnes.

“The future for medical grade titanium looks bright,” Smith said. “The aging baby boomer demographic wants to stay active. The health industry is pushing all ages to lead more active lives. Growth for medical grade raw materials is projected to be three to five percent per annum over next five years. Medical industry will continue researching new and innovative uses for titanium.Distributors play a key role in the medical grade titanium supply chain.”

He also provided his insights during an earlier presentation to the ITA on “The Role of the Distributor for Medical Grade Raw Materials.” Smith’s list of medical grade raw materials included as cobalt-based biomaterials (CoCrMo; L605); plastics (ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, polyether ether ketone) specialty metallic biomaterials (ceramics); specialty steel (Stainless 316L; 455; 17-4PH); and titanium-based biomaterials (commercially pure and Ti6Al-4V).

As for the customers for medical grade raw materials, Smith said there are five major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), representing 59 percent of the worldwide market (as of 2016, down from 61 percent in 2015), with their own in-house manufacturing, supplemented by contract manufacturers. By comparison, he said there are fewer than 100 smaller OEMs with limited in-house production capabilities, which predominantly use contract manufacturers to produce the component parts.

“Distributors play a key role in the medical grade raw material supply chain,” Smith declared. He noted that distributors provide value-added services such as just-in-time delivery to manage inventory costs, precision grinding and sawing, small quantities for prototyping, and supplying non-standard grades of material.

Defining the role of the distributor, Smith urged OEMs to “work with a distributor on blanket orders whenever possible. This commitment enables the distributor to negotiate long-term price agreements and raw material hedge contracts with the mills, thereby enabling the distributor to offer firm pricing, with material always available on the shelf, for delivery as you need it to meet your production schedule.”

According to information on its website (http://www.edgeintl.com),Edge International,based in Dayton, OH, is a division of Titan Metal Fabricators Inc. Edge is a stocking distributor ofmedical grade raw materialsfor the manufacture of implants and instruments used in the orthopaedic, spine and trauma sectors of the medical device industry.Titan Metal Fabricators, headquartered in Camarillo, CA, a reactive metal design, fabrication and metals distribution organization, acquired the assets of the metals division of Edge International in April 2017.

Other voices also recently contributed their expertise on titanium’s business opportunities in the global medical sector.Don Urbanowicz, principal at Urbanowicz Consulting LLC, appearing at the TITANIUM USA 2017 gathering, held last October in Florida, presented a talk on “Market Dynamics Impacting the Orthopedic Industry.” According to Urbanowicz’s market overview projections, orthopaedic product sales—(joint reconstruction, spine, trauma, arthroscopy/soft tissue and orthobiologics)—will reach an estimated $49.8 billion in 2017, $51.5 billion in 2018, and will climb to $57.3 billion by the year 2021, all of which presents an attractive growth-market opportunities for titanium (and other metal competitors).

He also pondered the near-term role of additive/3D printing as a viable technology to produce titanium orthopaedic products. Urbanowicz said 3D printing would be appealing to surgeons for solving complex trauma and joint replacement cases. He also wondered whether 3D printing might “disrupt the current business model by eliminating off-the-shelf implants and instead be printed by hospitals.”

Prabhu Gubbi, Ph.D., materials scientist/research manager for Zimmer Biomet Dental, discussed “The Role of Titanium in Implant Dentistry.” Citing a study by Grand View Research Inc., Gubbi said the global dental implants market is expected to reach $6.8 billion by the year 2024.

He confirmed that titanium is the “de facto metal of choice in implant dentistry,” due to its superiority in resisting corrosion and toxicity in tissues, lack of allergic reaction and mechanical strength. “Commercially pure titanium has the highest resistance to corrosion and is often regarded as the most biocompatible metal due to its stable/inert oxide layer,” Gubbi said. “Over 50 years of clinical research with higher than 95 percent overall success/survival rate make dental implants the best option for replacement of missing teeth.”

Dean Hutchinson, product manager, Arthrex Shoulder Arthroplasty, spoke about the “Opportunities for Materials Innovation in Orthopedics.” Hutchinson said the typical cost of an arthroplasty procedure—the surgical reconstruction/replacement of a joint to relieve pain and restore range of motion—is $40,000 for a hip; $35,000 for a knee; and $21,000 for a shoulder.

Hutchinson emphasized titanium’s properties as being perfectly matched for on-growth fixation to bones. Clinicians and original equipment manufacturers are “truly passionate” about this advantage for titanium. He suggested that producers of titanium implants should consider forming alliances with coatings suppliers to develop products with enhanced antimicrobial properties and on-growth compatibility with bones.

Jan Palan of Comtes FHT, a speaker at TITANIUM EUROPE 2017, held last May in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, shared thoughts on the “Development of Pure Titanium-Based, High-Strength Wires; Possibilities for the Medical Industry.” Palan began the talk first by stating the importance of the topic, noting that pure titanium is considered the most biocompatible metal for medical implants (resistance to corrosion from bodily fluids, bio-inertness, capacity for osseointegration, and high fatigue limit).

However, for some applications, he pointed out that commercially pure (CP) titanium doesn’t have sufficient mechanical properties. “One way to improve mechanical properties is by adding alloying elements, but this could negatively affect biocompatibility. Another way to increase the mechanical properties is to refine the structure to the level of nanometers using Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD).” Utilizing SPD is a method to “refine the structure to the level of nanometers, thus improving mechanical properties.”

Comtes FHT’s “Conform SPD” technology, typically used for continuous extrusions of various profiles from nonferrous alloys, is used for the production of nanostructured, high-strength wires. Palan said the company has developed a system for combining Conform SPD withequal-channel angular pressing (ECAP), which provides a process for the cold extrusion of titanium. As a result, the nanostructured CP titanium retains its biocompatibility combined with even higher strength than a Ti6Al4V alloy.

Achieving improved mechanical properties, combined with titanium’s inherent biocompatibility, enables designers to create smaller, stronger medical implants, according to Palan. “This is a product with high added value, where the use of nanostructured (CP) titanium delivers improved properties, and therefore increases the price,” he said. “However, the effect of the higher material prices on total manufacturing costs will be minimal.”

The Medical Technology committee will be ready to announce their slate of speakers for the upcoming TITANIUM USA 2018 conference soon.

ITA’s Medical Technology Committee Members:

Viv HelwigPresident, Vested Metals (Committee Chair)
Bob FletcherVP Purchasing, Structure Medical, LLC
Ric SnyderProduct Manager, Fort Wayne Metals
Stephen SmithPresident, Edge International

Thomas Zuccarini    Director, Medical Market, Carpenter Dynamet

In case you missed it:

Past Medical Editions of Titanium Today

Industry Spotlight with Melanie Cunningham, Titanium Finishing Company

TITANIUM USA 2018 Registration

Don’t Wait! Register Now!

Sunday, July 15, 2018 is the Pre-Registration deadline to take advantage of early registration rates for TITANIUM USA 2018.

This year’s conference will be held at the fabulous Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas Nevada!

Late registration rates will apply after the 15th so please register today to take advantage of the savings.
Click here to register now

And don’t forget to reserve your guest room under the discounted room block at the Bellagio Resort.You can book your reservation in the discounted room block here.

Delegates staying at the conference hotel receive an additional $100 off their registration. To receive this discount please book your guest room reservation and provide your confirmation number during registration.

WiT is pleased to host a continuing education workshop, industry related tour of the Norsk Titanium plant, followed by a networking reception.
Special thanks Norsk Titanium for hosting the tour.

Fundamentals of Titanium Workshop

Instructor:Frauke Hogue

Explore this female friendly environment where you may prepare yourselfto present and work effectively with job related functions that involve titanium.The workshop is equally appropriate for those with technical backgrounds, sales or customer service positions, and administrative staff.By attending the workshop, you will receive a complete overview of titanium and a thorough grounding in its metallurgy, characteristics, properties and uses.As part of the course, ITA will provide access to an online comprehensive study guide to serve as a reference tool to utilize the information as needed in the workplace.

Workshop Fees including refreshments, lunch & study guide:

ITA Members:$195Non-Members: $249

Register for Fundamentals Here!

Norsk Titanium Industry Tour

A small team of Norwegian scientists and engineers formed Norsk Titanium with an oversized dream — to pioneer the next industrial revolution.From over a decade of materials science research and process control came Rapid Plasma Deposition.™ What Norsk Titanium achieved has fundamentally altered manufacturing forever and launched the new industrial age.Norsk Titanium is pioneering a new era of on-demand metal additive manufacturing that will revolutionize industries.Women in Titanium is pleased to organize this industry related tour on behalf of our group.

Register for tour here!

WiT Networking Reception

Studies have shown providing more opportunities for women in the workforce can be an important element of an organization’s strategy for the future. It is no longer just about “good corporate responsibility.” Including women in corporate culture is also becoming good business practice.

Leaders in management are responsible for creating the atmosphere and overseeing the organization's diversity approach as it affects the strategy, risk, and performance of their company. Organizations who provide women with management opportunities may find themselves leading as a contributor to success with improved profitability in this global economy.

Come join us for the WiT networking reception.Michelle Pharand, Vice President Sales & Supply Chain - Astral Air Parts LLC and 2018 WiT Committee Chair will greet you at the reception and will provide an overview of WiT accomplishments to date with a preview of programming for the remainder of 2018.

Why You Should Attend

The mission of the WiT committee is two-fold: To develop a networking group of collegial women presently in the titanium industry; and to promote, attract, and encourage high school and college women to enter the titanium industry.The objective is to contribute to the growth of the overall titanium industry by providing mentoring, collegial and networking opportunities for women within the titanium industry and to take part in programming which advance gender equality in STEM fields for high school and college women.

Preliminary Itinerary
Thursday, September 13th

Friday, September 14th

Workshop Location & Housing:Hampton Inn, 586 NY-3 Plattsburgh, NY 12901

Book your guest room at the Hampton Inn here

Reception:Butcher Block Restaurant - Steak & Seafood, 15 Booth Dr., Plattsburgh, NY

Please be sure to mention you are visiting Norsk and inquire about a discount.

(303) 404-2221
PO Box 1300
Eastlake Colorado 80614-9990 USA

Nomination Deadline for the $20,000 Titanium Application Development Award is July 30th

What started out as a simple idea to recognize individuals or organizations who have shown significant achievement towards improving and expanding the use of titanium, has evolved into an internationally recognized program which has awarded a diverse range of candidates using titanium in a variety of sectors including aerospace, industrial, medical and consumer markets.

The program, now in its 11th year, is collecting applications for the $20,000 prize which will be presented to the winner(s) at the TITANIUM USA Conference in Vegas this October.

The TAD award is intended to distinguish and remunerate commendable work in an area too little rewarded as well as potentially help support the continued development of the application.

ITA’s Grant Committee would like to extend Congratulations to this year’s academic scholarship winners:

Victoria Boehlert-Somohano

University of Dayton

Haley Felberg

Biola University

Jesse Magdalena

Brigham Young University

Alexanda McLennan

St. Mary's University

Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) education helps students build a foundation for exciting, rewarding careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and assume leadership roles in their chosen professions and communities.

The International Titanium Association (ITA) STEM Scholarship Program provides four (4) $2,500 awards for students pursuing a major in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM majors).

To qualify, applicants must be current college or university sophomores or juniors who plan to enroll in a full-time science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) undergraduate field of study and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent). All nominees must be submitted by an employee of an ITA member organization.

Edward Sobota Jr., President of TSI Titanium is the Chair of the 2018 Grant and Achievement Award Committee

Special Thanks

To the generous scholarship sponsors whose organizations give substantially to support the educational endeavors of students.

April 12, 2018

Contact: Jennifer Simpson, Executive Director

Denver, Colorado USA

1-303-404-2221 Telephone

ita@titanium.org Email

Titanium Europe 2018 Executive Summary Now Available!

In case you missed it:

Titanium Today Emerging Markets Edition Now Available

-Call for Abstracts – Managing Aging Plants Supported by the International Titanium Association

International Titanium Association Honors Sherman with Lifetime Achievement Award

Russell Gordon Sherman, who developed alloys and heat treating protocols for the titanium industry and pioneered the high-volume production of titanium aerospace fasteners, is the recipient of the International Titanium Association’s (ITA) 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award. The ITA will formally present Sherman with the award at the TITANIUM USA 2018 Conference and Exhibition, October 7-10 in Las Vegas, Nevada USA.

Frauke Hogue, FASM (Fellow of American Society for Materials), an ITA educational instructor and an executive and metallographer with Hogue Metallography, Pacific Palisades, CA, in a nomination form for the prestigious award, lauded Sherman’s distinguished career. “The entire titanium industry has benefited from Sherman’s research into developing a higher strength titanium (the workhorse Ti-6Al-4V alloy) through the heat treatment of solution treating and aging,” Hogue wrote.

Sherman was involved in developing titanium alloys and heat treating protocols to raise the mechanical properties and usability of the “wonder metal” during the formative years of the titanium industry, according to Hogue. He presented the initial findings from his research at Titanium Metals Corporation of America (Timet), Henderson, NV, at the ASM’s convention in Philadelphia in October 1955, a paper titled “The Heat Treatability of Ti-6Al-4V.” The backdrop to his research work came during the Cold War years of the 1950s, when the United States and the Soviet Union were vying for supremacy in aerospace.

Hogue also recalled that, later in Sherman’s career, during the 1960s and into the early 1970s, he worked in the industrial fastener industry where he pioneered high-volume production techniques and heat treating of titanium fasteners for the aerospace industry. This was a time when Boeing needed thousands of fasteners for its 747 commercial jet.

“One-at-a-time hot forging could not meet the volume and price demand (for aerospace fasteners),” Hogue stated. “He made volume production of fasteners possible by working out techniques (for titanium wire) using cold-heading equipment. Working with Egloff & Graper, he made volume heat treating of fasteners possible. This was done by modifying an old AGF ‘Shaker’ hearth furnace to solution-treat fasteners continually under argon gas protection.”

A resident of Santa Monica, CA, and still active as a consultant in the titanium industry, Sherman said he’s most proud of his accomplishments during his early years at Timet. “This was a time when no one knew anything about titanium,” he said during a telephone interview. He affectionately described this period of his career as ‘Titanium 101’, when he and colleagues had to teach themselves about the metal’s properties and its vast potential as a strategic material for military and industrial applications.

Sherman was born in Baltimore and lived in Norfolk, VA, and Philadelphia. He served in the Army during World War II, in the European Theater, and again was called into active duty during the Korean War. He was honorably discharged from military service in August 1953 and soon after landed a position as a metallurgist with Timet..

The Emerging Markets edition of

Titanium Today is Now Available!

You can now access the emerging markets edition of Titanium Today by clicking the cover image above!

(303) 404-2221
PO Box 1300
Eastlake Colorado 80614-9990 USA

The sixth annual TITANIUM EUROPE 2018 Conference and Expo will be held the 14^th – 16^th May at the Meliá Sevilla hotel in Sevilla, Spain. The event is organized and hosted by the International Titanium Association (ITA) Denver, Colorado USA. The gathering serves as a forum for engineers, designers, manufacturers, distributors, sales and marketing representatives, and business executives involved in the global titanium industry.

Laurent Jara, vice president, metallic materials, Airbus S.A.S., is slated to serve as the keynote speaker for the forum. Conference attendees will be invited to tour the Airbus M400 Plant in Seville, the home of the Airbus A400M Atlas four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft.

TITANIUM EUROPE will feature a roster of speakers who will share their insights and expertise on international business trends, technological advances and industry conditions. The speaker list includes Henry Seiner, vice president, business strategy for Titanium Metals Corp. (TIMET) and the president of the ITA’s board of directors. Seiner has responsibility for and visibility into all aspects of TIMET’s global supply chain. Jeremy Halford is President of Arconic Engineered Structures, a global leader in engineered titanium products, will address the use of titanium in military and defense industries. Albert Bruneau, executive vice president of Neotiss High Performance Tube (formerly Vallourec) will discuss industrial markets. Neotiss, headquartered in France, is a supplier of titanium and stainless steel welded tubes for heat exchangers.

Michael Metz, the president of VSMPO Tirus US, will offer his perspective on the Russian titanium market. VSMPO is the largest producer of titanium in the world, vertically integrated from titanium sponge production through melting and mill products such as plate, sheet, bar, billet, wire, and welded and seamless tubing. Rang Qi Lei, general manager, Baoji Titanium Industry Co. Ltd., will share his outlook on titanium business trends in China. Many eyes are on the Asian giant as China looks to ramp up its aerospace industry. Andrea Clark, titanium product manager, Continental Steel & Tube, will provide an assessment of titanium utilization in the global bicycle manufacturing industry. Clark says the growing demand for titanium bicycles is tied to the awareness of healthy lifestyles, environmental concerns and the need for low-cost transportation in developing countries as well in Europe and the United States.

Seung Eon Kim, principal researcher for the Korea Institute of Materials Science, will present information on the use of porous titanium for medical device applications. Titanium and titanium alloys have been extensively used in medical devices such as orthopedic and dental implants owing to their excellent corrosion resistance and superior biocompatibility properties. Kim will discuss how porous titanium also has a promising future for bulk implant applications such as spinal cages and craniofacial implants, noting that leading-edge additive manufacturing technology has recently promoted the adaptation of porous titanium for medical devices with different and complex design. Sylvain Gehler, managing director, Specialty Metals Co., will give his outlook on production trends for titanium sponge, the key precursor to titanium metal. Specialty Metals, based in Brussels, Belgium, is an integrated producer of titanium sponge and magnesium, with a facility located in Kazakhstan. ALD Vacuum Technologies will sponsor a group of presenters dedicated to Recycling and Processing of Titanium and a 3D Printing Additive Manufacturing session.

Pre-Registration rates will end on the 22^nd April for the upcoming event and the discounted guest room block at the Meliá Sevilla will expire on this date also. It is not too late to register for the upcoming event in Sevilla – Join Us!

ITA membership includes more than 200 organizations and over 1,500 individual members worldwide. The association sponsors major conferences in Europe, Asia and North America, organizes educational workshops, and manages a variety of technical and marketing committees all dedicated to the titanium metal industry. For more information on TITANIUM EUROPE, visit www.TitaniumEurope.org or contact the ITA at 1-303-404-2221.

April 12, 2018

Contact: Jennifer Simpson, Executive Director

Denver, Colorado USA

1-303-404-2221 Telephone

ita@titanium.org Email

Open to students who plan to enroll in a full-time science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) undergraduate field of study and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent).

All nominations may be submitted by an employee of an International Titanium Association member company in good standing. Applications being accepted until March 30, 2018 April 7th, 2018.

For questions, please contact Karina Graziani.