OREANDA-NEWS. May 10, 2012. Nippon Steel Corporation (president: Shoji Muneoka; hereinafter referred to as “Nippon Steel”) has announced that on March 16 of this year, it has obtained certification under Nadcap (National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program) for the heat-treating process applied to the production of titanium sheets for aircraft.

Traditionally, aircraft-related manufacturers used to obtain certification, individually in each case, for special processes (heat treating, surface treating, non-destructive testing, etc.) applied to the production of the parts and raw materials that they procure. In 1990, Nadcap was set up as the common global accreditation system and has since been maintained by the PRI (Performance Review Institute), an American non-profit organization. Accreditations are made transparent through the accredited manufacturers listing on the Nadcap’s website.

Nippon Steel’s heat-treating process was approved after stringent examinations, centering around the quality system, equipment performance, and worker education & training, followed by a review by expert staff.

With the continued progress of the globalization of economies, demand of commercial aircraft is expected to continue on an upward trend. As more and more composite materials are used for airframes for weight reduction, titanium (which is very compatible to such use) has been utilized in ever-greater quantities from approx. 20 tons per conventional plane to over 80 tons per plane with new architectures. In 2015, titanium demand for commercial aircraft is expected to increase by more than 50% over the level of 2011.

In the aircraft segment, the largest demand area for titanium, Nippon Steel, having the world’s top-level share in the production and sale of wrought products of pure titanium, has, in 2009, obtained approval for “JIS Q 9100: The aerospace quality management system” for commercially pure titanium sheets applied to aircraft. In the future, triggered by Nadcap’s current approval and by a dramatic expansion of regions open to Nippon Steel’s marketing endeavors, in addition to the familiar fields of general industry, such as, consumer products, and building construction, we shall also step up efforts toward the aircraft segment where long-term demand expansion is anticipated.