October 23, 2026 Titanium Market Daily: Titanium Product Prices Flat Across the Board vs. Yesterday
North Nonferrous Metals Network published its Titanium Market Daily on October 23, 2026, showing that titanium product prices were flat across the board compared with the previous trading day. That day, Longbai Group rose 2.05% intraday to RMB 14.46 per share, but the titanium dioxide sector index fell 1.42%, with 9 constituent stocks declining and only 1 advancing; Baoji Titanium dropped 2.56%. On the same day, Longbai Sichuan Titanium made public a new patent for a process to improve the hydrolysis rate of sulfate-process titanium dioxide.
On the industry side, Yongjin Co., Ltd.'s planned titanium material capacity is 100,000 t/yr, of which 35,000 t had been built by the end of H1 2026, accounting for about 17.5% of national titanium material output; its H1 titanium material output of 10,500 t already exceeded the full-year 2025 total. Titanium materials have achieved batch application in the 3C sector, and high-margin new products such as composite foil for VC vapor chambers are being commercialized at an accelerating pace. On October 21, the Nanzhao County Government and Jiangsu Hasen Intelligent Manufacturing signed a titanium metal powder manufacturing project, with Phase I investment of RMB 100 million, adopting processes such as plasma atomization; construction is planned to start in November and production in March next year, with annual revenue of more than RMB 300 million after reaching full capacity. At the market level, titanium concentrate and sponge titanium are approaching or falling below the cost line; high operating rates and high inventories mean the oversupply pattern remains unchanged, and production cuts are passive contractions. Demand is supported only by essential needs; titanium dioxide downstream users buy only as needed, chemical-grade titanium material orders are relatively weak, and the military and aerospace volume is insufficient to drive the overall market, with buyers and sellers locked in a standoff that has produced price stability at low trading volumes.
For the metal additive manufacturing supply chain, the standoff in sponge titanium and titanium concentrate prices near the cost line means the titanium powder raw material side lacks a clear directional signal in the short term; meanwhile, the landing of Hasen Intelligent Manufacturing's plasma-atomized titanium powder project points to continued expansion of domestic high-end spherical titanium powder supply capacity, and the batch adoption of titanium materials in consumer electronics applications such as 3C and VC vapor chambers is also opening non-aerospace incremental scenarios for additive manufacturing titanium powder.
Value to powder buyers: (1) Watch Hasen Intelligent Manufacturing's production start-up node in March next year and assess in advance the qualification window for plasma-atomized titanium powder as a second supply source; (2) with sponge titanium prices approaching the cost line, buyers can remain on the sidelines regarding long-term titanium powder contract prices and avoid locking in volumes at high levels; (3) track the pace of Yongjin Co., Ltd.'s titanium material ramp-up in 3C and VC vapor chambers to judge the demand elasticity of titanium powder for consumer electronics.
2026-10-24
Metallurgy Standards Search: Standard List - China Standards Online Service Network
The China Standards Online Service Network has recently added three national standards related to additive manufacturing metals, covering inspection methods for directed energy deposition processes, technical specifications for titanium alloy parts, and requirements for dedicated titanium powders. Among them, GB/T 43615-2023 "Additive Manufacturing - Ultrasonic Testing Methods for Directed Energy Deposition Metal Formed Parts" was issued and implemented on December 28, 2023; GB/T 42622-2023 "Additive Manufacturing - Titanium and Titanium Alloy Powders for Laser Directed Energy Deposition" was issued on May 23, 2023, and implemented on December 1; and GB/T 47005-2026 "Additive Manufacturing - Technical Specifications for Laser Directed Energy Deposition Titanium Alloy Parts" was issued on January 28, 2026, and is scheduled for implementation on August 1, 2026.
The three standards have clear divisions of responsibility: GB/T 43615-2023 specifies the general requirements, test pieces, reference sensitivity calibration, inspection process, and result evaluation for ultrasonic testing of directed energy deposition metal formed parts, and applies to formed parts with cross-sectional thicknesses from 6 mm to 300 mm; GB/T 42622-2023 sets out the technical requirements, test methods, inspection rules, packaging and storage, and order content for titanium and titanium alloy powders used in laser directed energy deposition; GB/T 47005-2026 covers the trial production, production, and acceptance of six titanium alloy grades—TA15, TC4, TC11, TC17, TC18, and TC21—and specifies test methods and delivery preparation.
From powder to formed parts to non-destructive testing, the standards chain is closing. The powder end now has a unified basis for ordering and inspection, the parts end locks down grades and acceptance rules, and the testing end provides an ultrasonic method with a clear applicable thickness range. This means that quality determination for laser directed energy deposition titanium alloy parts will gradually shift from bilateral supplier-buyer agreements to national standard endorsement, and both powder batch consistency and internal defect control in formed parts are being brought onto a standardized track.
Value for powder buyers: ① Check titanium powder test methods and inspection rules against GB/T 42622-2023, and incorporate accompanying documents and order terms into procurement contracts; ② For grades such as TA15, TC4, TC11, TC17, TC18, and TC21, secure powder sources in advance that meet the acceptance requirements of GB/T 47005-2026; ③ Pay attention to ultrasonic testing requirements for the 6 mm to 300 mm thickness range, and work backward to match powder quality with the process window.
2026-10-24
ESA and ArianeGroup Successfully Test New Rocket Engine "Greta": Additive Manufacturing Combustion Chamber Design Proves Key | Industrial 3D Printer Portal ShareLab – ShareLab NEWS
The European Space Agency (ESA) and ArianeGroup have completed the first round of testing for their jointly developed new rocket engine, Greta, validating its stable operation capability. The engine's combustion chamber is manufactured using metal 3D printing, enabling structural designs difficult to achieve with conventional processes. Testing took place from July to November 2025 in Trauen, Germany.
The Greta combustion chamber is a 30 cm tall laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) formed part with complex cooling channels directly integrated into the wall interior. The coolant circulates just millimeters from the combustion zone, withstanding combustion temperatures exceeding 2000°C. The propellant has been switched to a hydrogen peroxide and ethanol blend, replacing the previously widely used hydrazine-based propellants. Testing included continuous combustion exceeding 40 seconds, multiple restarts, and shutdown conditions, all of which performed stably. The next phase will invest approximately 3 million euros, partnering with Safran Aero Boosters, the Aviation Institute, and InPraise Systems, to advance the prototype toward a flight-ready engine.
This case elevates the value of LPBF for aerospace hot-section components to a new level: integrated forming of cooling channels and structure means designs no longer accommodate manufacturing constraints but are driven by functional requirements. For the metal powder supply chain, the requirements for powder sphericity, oxygen content, and batch consistency in combustion-chamber-grade LPBF parts will tighten further as such projects move from prototypes to flight parts.
Value for powder buyers: (1) Pay attention to batch stability and oxygen content metrics of superalloy powders for LPBF; aerospace combustion chamber orders tolerate far less powder inconsistency than general industrial parts; (2) Proactively evaluate supply sources for fine-particle-size, high-sphericity powders; forming 30 cm-class thin-walled complex channels places high demands on powder flowability; (3) Confirm powder reuse cycles and performance degradation data with suppliers; flight-part certification typically requires complete powder lifecycle records.
2026-10-24
