Toho Titanium Plans to Supply 50,000t Titanium Sponge and Ingot

Toho Titanium announced on Thursday the firm plans to expand its supply capacity of titanium sponge and ingot to total 50,000 tonnes per year in future. The firm will become able to supply total 40,000 tonnes of titanium sponge and ingot per year after the firm completes construction and capacity expansion of new plants in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture of Japan. The firm examines an additional plan to expand titanium sponge output capacity by 6,000 tonnes at Chigasaki plant in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan and to increase titanium scrap usage volume as a smelting material. With completion of the all plans, the total titanium supply capacity will reach 50,000 tonnes per year.Toho Titanium currently produces titanium sponge in Chigasaki plant at output capacity of 15,000 tonnes per year, while the firm produces titanium ingot at output capacity of 9,000 tonnes per year. The firm smelts titanium ingot in a vacuum arc remelting (VAR) furnace at Chigasaki plant and an electron beam (EB) melting furnace at Hitachi plant in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Toho Titanium uses 7,000 tonnes of titanium sponge by itself and sells 8,000 tonnes to customers. Consequently Toho Titanium’s recent supply capacity of titanium sponge and ingot accounts for total 17,000 tonnes per year.Yawata EB furnace plant in Kitakyushu will start titanium ingot production in April 2008 at output capacity of 10,000 tonnes per year. In the second phase of the construction, the capacity will be doubled to 20,000 tonnes. As to titanium sponge, output capacity of Chigasaki plant will be expanded by 1,000 tonnes in October 2007 and a new plant in Wakamatsu of Kitakyushu will start production in December 2009 at output capacity of 12,000 tonnes per year. After completion of these expansions, Toho Titanium’ total titanium supply will reach 40,000 tonnes per year.In order to realize 50,000 tonnes titanium supply, the firm plans another expansion for titanium sponge at Chigasaki plant by 6,000 tonnes per year. The firm also examines to increase titanium scrap usage in EB furnaces from current 2,000 tonnes to 5,000 tonnes per year.