Low - Cost Titanium Powder is the First of its Kind MICHAEL MOLITCH - HOUFRI , DECEMBER 13 , 20133 D Printing Industry Sort of a like acamper ’ s grainy footage of Bigfoot sauntering between trees in a forest , aCambridge University spin - out company , Metalysis , has put out a videodemonstrating the 3 D printing of low - cost titanium powder , as part of aUniversity of Sheffield project : The partnership between the University of Sheffield ’ sMercury Centre and Metalysis has yielded what may be the first 3 D printed titaniumcar part . The Director of Mercury Centre , Prof . Iain Todd , explains that Metalysis ’ low - cost powder is produced in such a way that bypasses the traditional , costlyand labour - intensive process of making titanium : “ Normally what happens withtitanium powder is you take what they call mill grade titanium , which issomething that ’ s been three times melted and turned into a block and thenrolled . Then it ’ s turned and you remove the material you don ’ t need and areleft with a billet of titanium that is re - melted and turned into a powder . ” Instead , Metalysis applies electrolysis to the titanium ore rutile found in beachsand , separating its elements and producing titanium powder . The Mercury Centre , Sheffield ’ s large 3 D printing lab , was then able to use the material to 3 D print automobile parts , as well asguide vanes , airfoil components , and impellers for airplanes , relying on theirdiscontinued Renishaw AM 125 machine . Because Metalysis ’ powder is much cheaper than the traditional process , it is a more affordable option for 3 D printingmetal parts than currently on the market . Though Prof . Todd told TCT that it ’ s not ready for theaerospace industry yet , it could be suitable for the low - cost manufacture oftemperature and corrosion resistant parts . CEO of Metalysis , Dion Vaughan , explained just howeconomical their product could be : “ The Metalysis process couldreduce the price of titanium by as much as 75 per cent , making titanium almostas cheap as specialty steels . We believe that titanium made by the Metalysis process could replace the current use of aluminium and steel in many products . This world - first for a titanium 3 D printed component brings us a step closer tomaking this a reality . ” The firm is also expanding into other materials , currently developing a tantalum powder and looking into rare Earth metals , according to the University of Sheffield blog . Metalysis has alsoexplained that they can create unique alloys using their process , engineeringmetal powders with specific particle sizes and distributions . Looks like we ’ llhave to keep an eye on them and the Mercury Centre to see what else it comes upwith in the New Year .