Advanced design hearth melting operations are providing the titanium industry with an all new set of cost/quality standards by which to judge performance and potential of the industry. Plasma and Electron Beam melting technologies have addressed most of the inherent weaknesses of VAR melting. The strides made in this area along with advances made in process control technology have heralded a new age in titanium metal production. The technology exists to allow one to melt, homogenize, clean and cast titanium metal into a broad range of shapes, with very little down time and utilizing any variety of raw materials. However, the plasma hearth systems in use today are first generation concepts that cater more to the upstream process needs of the integrated industry than they do to any particular consumer requirement. Part of the goal to reduce process costs necessitates reducing yield losses and process steps while increasing overall productivity, which means, reducing the role of the downstream processor. Plasma hearth systems today are designed to serve as a step in an otherwise traditional manufacturing process (at least with regard to aerospace/alloy applications). As hearth system design changes occur, they must happen with an emphasis on evolving needs of consumers rather than evolving needs of the traditional integrated titanium producer.

Lectrotherm Process Systems Inc. will propose a titanium mill concept incorporating the demand mandates of this evolving market with production concepts being developed to service this changing demand. The technological advancements will cover a range of process steps including machine turnings preparation, turnings blending, raw materials charging, melting productivity enhancements, and melting chemistry control advancements. The advancements will be portrayed in the context of a unified plant design and will incorporate manpower requirements, production cost data, throughput potential, yield data, revenue generation forecasts, product scope capability, and geographic market relevance.