Recently, British foundry R&D center Castings Technology International (Cti) helped PTC Industries to start up the first titanium casting plant in India, based on Cti’s Replicast® process. Replicast involves using patterns formed in polystyrene and dipped in a ceramic slurry, and then fired to form a ceramic shell that establishes the mold for casting metal.
PTC established the titanium foundry at its Advanced Manufacturing Technology Centre in Lucknow, in response to domestic and foreign customer demand, and with support from the Indian government’s ‘Make in India’ campaign.
The new foundry will produce high-integrity castings for safety-critical applications, including valves for U.S. and European oil-and-gas projects.
PTC was established in 1963 and was the first company in Asia to produce a casting using Cti’s Replicast® technology. It operates two foundries (Replicast, Rapidcast, investment casting, shell molding, sand molding and centrifugal casting), two CNC machine shops, and a fabricating plant, and produces parts for valves and pumps, mining and industrial equipment, and power generating projects, in stainless and alloy steel, Ni- and Co-based alloys, ADI, and more.
“Our company has been growing at an extraordinary pace and is determined to meet the future needs of a rapidly evolving, global industry, as well as the growing Indian economy,” stated Sachin Agarwal, PTC’s managing director. “With Cti’s help we are building on our existing technological strengths and have been able to rapidly adapt and respond to the demand for the Titanium castings which our clients require.”
Cti advised PTC on the acquisition and installation of a consumable electrode VAR furnace for melting titanium, which pours “just over 60kg” of titanium, both statically and centrifugally. With input from Cti, the furnace design was converted from U.S. to Indian power specifications, including power supplied by a generator.
Cti also advised PTC on pre- and post-cast operations, including training and commissioning services, producing sample parts, and carrying out trials of Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) equipment (which it noted is “essential for processing titanium castings.”)
In addition to being India’s first titanium casting foundry, PTC is the only plant in India offering HIP products. It is able to process castings up to 1.2 meters diameter, larger than the parts it can cast.
“We have been delighted to be able to use our expertise in designing new foundries, titanium casting, and providing on-site support to help a technically advanced client like PTC to add an important new capability,” according to James Collins, Cti’s foundry process consultant James Collins.