Airbus to cooperate with Russia on titanium parts production

Russia can contribute technologically in the production of titanium aircraft parts for Airbus, Axel Flaig, Airbus Senior Vice President Research and Technology told RT. The plane maker is using more of the metal due to its strength and light weight.

“With this technology of 3D printing or added layer manufacturing titanium is a very interesting candidate… We are working on qualifying titanium for application in aerospace…We’ve started changing simple parts on some aircraft for 3D-printed titanium parts and I think this will go to much bigger and complicated parts…This is where we can collaborate,” said Flaig, speaking at the Open Innovations Forum in Russia.

Russia is one of the world's biggest titanium producers, and has some of the best knowhow in working with the metal. Titanium is extremely difficult to work with in manufacturing.

Speaking about the impact of anti-Russian sanctions, Flaig said at the moment there’s no decline in the order books and the company sells more than it produces. “We have production orders for nearly nine years - a record in any industry. Our challenge is to wrap up production to fulfill the needs. If there’s a small volatility, we can manage it,” he said.