Osaka Titanium Technologies Seeks Additional Output Capacity

Osaka Titanium Technologies’ president Masaaki Tachibana said to a reporter of Japan Metal Bulletin the firm tries to accelerate the output expansion to meet growing demand for airplane. The firm decided 14 billion yen of additional investment to expand sponge titanium output by 3,000 tonnes per year and build new plant in Kishiwada, Osaka. Mr. Tachibana said the firm planned to build a melting furnace in existing plant originally but finally decided to build new plant in Kishiwada. He said the vacuum arc remelting furnaces has better productivity due to the one power supply and 2 furnaces system. He said the firm launches a furnace in July 2009 and another furnace in October 2009, one of which is to make titanium alloy for airplane. The firm decided additional 3,000 tonnes per year of sponge titanium output capacity. Mr. Tachibana said the firm planned annual 38,000 tonnes of new plant originally but revised the plan for additional capacity when the firm gets strong order from offshore buyers. Mr. Tachibana said the firm builds pilot plant for new smelting process in Amagaski plant, Hyogo after the firm transfers the energy related business to Kishiwada. He said the firm tries to produce sponge titanium with 99.9% purity level at annual 10,000 tonnes for commercialization after the several years of test. He said the new process is for commodity materials while the Kroll method is for airplane grade. Mr. Tachibana said the firm didn’t introduce cold hearth furnace for the new plant due to less availability of alloy titanium scrap in Japan. He said the firm continues studying the introduction for future possibility.