Thermal processing leader Bodycote becomes first company in western U.S. to unveil heat treating option for titanium

New process ushers in stronger, safer, more advanced aviation parts

DALLAS (U.S.A.) — At the 49th International Paris Air Show, worldwide thermal processing specialists Bodycote today announced it has developed an advanced cooling control process that optimizes the heat treatment of high-strength titanium components used in the aviation industry. Now, aerospace suppliers worldwide have the ability to use titanium alloys to build stronger, safer and more advanced structural and landing gear components.

Bodycote is also the first company in the western United States, and one of only two commercially approved sources worldwide, whose cooling process has earned BASCA approval from The Boeing Company. BASCA, an acronym of Beta Anneal Slow Cool Age, is a heat treatment process used to strengthen components manufactured from the titanium alloy, Ti 5-5-5-3.

A high tensile strength alloy, Ti 5-5-5-3 offers fatigue and fracture toughness in aircraft structural applications requiring superior mechanical properties. But, many aircraft machining suppliers have not been able to use this alloy before because they did not have access to an appropriate heat treating process.

Bodycote’s new process closely controls the thermal profile of the titanium part during cooling, which optimizes the mechanical properties of the alloy. This results in a stronger, safer product.

”The western United States is home to a thriving aircraft machining supplier base that can now benefit from our new process and begin using Ti 5-5-5-3 and its derivatives in their parts,” Bodycote commented.

Similar suppliers along the Pacific Rim now have a more economical and geographically friendly resource for their titanium heat treating needs. Furthermore, the new process allows existing forge suppliers to continue using Bodycote as a single source for thermal processing services.

About Bodycote
With more than 170 accredited facilities in 27 countries, Bodycote is the world’s largest provider of thermal processing services. Through heat treatment, metal joining, surface technology and Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP), Bodycote improves the properties of metals and alloys, extending the life of vital components for a wide range of industries, including aerospace, defence, automotive, power generation, oil & gas, construction, medical and transportation. Customers in all of these industries have entrusted their products to Bodycote’s care for more than 30 years.