Hot investment for Titanium

ThyssenKrupp Stainless has decided to invest €30m in the expansion of production at the ThyssenKrupp Titanium site in Essen, Germany.

As part of the expansion, an additional vacuum arc furnace was installed to increase melting capacity for titanium ingots, and an electron beam furnace is being installed in a new onsite shop. The arc furnace began operating last year, and the electron beam furnace is scheduled to start production in early 2008.

‘These measures will enable us to participate in the growth of the titanium market and will secure us an outstanding position in business with customers from the aerospace and plant construction sectors,’ said Jürgen Fechter, executive board chairman of ThyssenKrupp Stainless.

The Essen plant mainly produces titanium ingots for the aerospace and medical engineering industries. The ingots are supplied to the company’s Terni, Italy site for processing into flat products, such as sheet, coil and welded tubes for industrial applications.

A low weight, corrosion resistant and high strength metal, titanium is also used in heat exchangers for power plants, seawater desalination plants, shipbuilding and offshore equipment.