Norsk Titanium, a global leader in additive manufacturing for aerospace-grade structural titanium components using its patented Rapid Plasma Deposition (RPD) technology, delivered the first flight-critical aircraft structure to GA-ASI (General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.), a leading developer of unmanned aircraft systems and prime contractor to the US Department of Defense.
Under a development contract with GA-ASI’s Additive Design & Manufacturing Center of Excellence, Norsk Titanium has delivered RPD final machined components for testing and evaluation. GA-ASI will conduct destructive testing in support of specification and part development.
“General Atomics has been dedicated to maturing directed energy additive and implementing it in their production programs,” said Nicholas Mayer Norsk Titanium Vice President of Commercial, “After an extensive collaborative qualification effort over the past few years with Norsk Titanium, GA-ASI plans to apply the qualified process to structural components within their next generation platforms currently under development, and is planning on their first flight of a critical, structurally loaded component, within the 2024-2025 timeframe.”
Norsk Titanium has recently announced qualification and production milestones in their core commercial aerospace titanium market. The continued expansion of their defense market offerings is a key part of Norsk Titanium’s long-term growth strategy. You can read all about GA-ASI’s aggressive AM production strategy in VoxelMatter’s story.
