Japan's largest steel corporation Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation (NSSMC) and Japanese titanium materials leader Toho Titanium Co Ltd have formed a joint venture to produce steel structures, industrial fittings and heavy-duty pipes for the aviation and space industries.
For the production of titanium alloys intended for use in the aerospace industry, it is necessary to use two types of melting furnaces: the first should be an electron-beam furnace in which rough melting of scrap with titanium inclusions occurs, and the second - a vacuum-arc furnace capable of ensuring the homogeneity of the chemical composition of the titanium alloy.
The new Japanese joint venture will build its business on the basis of the existing electron beam facilities currently in operation at the NSSMC Naoetsu plant, and two new vacuum furnaces will be purchased at once from OSAKA Titanium Technologies Co. to complete the production of high-quality titanium alloy.
The use of the latest technologies and modern melting equipment will allow the new joint venture to become the basis of a competitive production base on a global scale.
