Metal additive manufacturing company Titomic, that owns the exclusive rights to the Titomic Kinetic Fusion (TKF) process, has licensed two new patents from the Australian Government’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
The new IP relates to the additive production of titanium pipes, valves and continuous pipelines for oil & gas, petrochemical, water, power, mining and other industries.
In addition, Titomic has entered into an Acquisition Agreement with Future Titanium Technologies (FTT) that will see Titomic allot $400,000 worth of Titomic Limited shares to FTT shareholders.
Jeff Lang, Titomic Managing Director, comments, “This is a significant expansion of Titomic’s IP and associated revenue opportunities,”
“To capitalize on the significant $300+ Billion global interest Titomic has received from the Oil & Gas, Mining, and Marine industries to provide more sustainable and cost-effective AM manufacturing, these new TKF technologies enable Titomic to provide viable digital manufacturing capabilities leading to significant short, mid and long-term revenue opportunities.”
Additive manufactured pipes
Incorporated in 2014, Titomic is a specialist in cold spray manufacturing. Building on this core competency, the company acquired the exclusive rights to the TKF additive manufacturing process from CSIRO, and publicly announced plans for the technology’s commercialization in 2017.
In TKF, titanium or titanium alloy particles are sprayed on to a scaffold to produce load-bearing structures. Building its customer base, Titomic has introduced the TKF process to multiple industries. In maritime, it has earned a partner in Fincantieri Australia, a localized branch of international shipbuilding company Fincantieri, that is now amidst a Material Science Testing agreement for TKF. In defense, Titomic has an MoU with TAUV which seeks to apply additive manufacturing to develop better armor and UAVs.
The two new patents licensed from CSIRO are also for TKF, but specifically TKF applied to the additive manufacturing of pipes.By adopting TKF instead of more traditional pipe manufacturing processes, Titomic customers will receive the benefits of producing parts outside atypical size and profile constraints. The technique also enables the fusion of dissimilar metals, creating an access pathway to dual-wall materials with superior wear and corrosion resistance compared to traditional wrought metal pipes.
Through Titomic’s metal powder production agreement with Shaanxi Lasting Titanium Industry Co. Ltd (Or, simply, Lasting Titanium) the company should also deliver competitive costing, which remains a key barrier to adoption.
Supporting Australia’s manufacturing sector
CSIRO pipe additive manufacturing technology was developed as part of a $10 million industry-investment into the Victorian Direct Manufacturing Centre (VDMC) program – the aim of which is to “revitalise the manufacturing sector and deliver economic and environmental benefits to Victoria” in Australia.
For the exclusivity of the two new patents created in this program, related background IP, and Know How, Titomic is to pay $125,000 (AUD) in upfront fees to CSIRO, securing the licence for eight years. In addition, Titomic has agreed to pay the organization royalties on gross revenues received from the sale of products relating to the new pipe technologies. For third party licensing through Titomic, the company will also pay CSIRO a 20% royalty.
Stefan Gulizia, Research Group Leader at CSIRO, concludes, “Working with companies like Titomic shows that manufacturing remains a key driver in the Australian economy,”
“We are pleased that Titomic are licensing the rights to utilise and further commercialize CSIRO research in developing new products and processes that go towards supporting productivity gains, boosting sustainability and helping capture emerging opportunities in local and global markets.”
Is Titomic Kinetic Fusion your Innovation of the Year? Nominate this process and more for the 2019 3D Printing Industry Awards now before voting opens.
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Featured image shows Jeff Lang, Managing Director of Titomic. Photo via Titomic
