PM TITANIUM ALLOYS SEEN TO HAVE POTENTIAL FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS.

One of the major directions for increased titanium sales in recent years, particularly in the USA, has been in the non-aerospace market. A significant advance in this regard would be the introduction of titanium into the large volume automotive industry, even if this were in only a small number of critical parts. To date only the extremely weight conscious racing segment of the car industry has used titanium for applications such as pistons and springs, and needless to say the volumes involved are not very significant. There is, however, a growing concern among car manufacturers to further improve the fuel efficiency of their vehicles through weight reductions and it is for this reason that titanium is considered to have potential applications in the large volume automotive market.