Ukrainian titanium innovator Velta announced today that it will commence commercial production and distribution of finished titanium medical implants created through additive manufacturing and its revolutionary titanium powder technology by the end of the year, becoming the world’s first fully integrated commercial titanium ore mining, powder processing, and metal manufacturing operation.
“This enormous milestone is the result of many years of intensive work behind the scenes to scale our powder technology at a pace that the global titanium market demands,” Velta CEO Andriy Brodsky said. “By bringing these titanium medical implants to market, we’ve proven our concept and are eager to stake out our position as the first and leading integrated titanium operation.”
In 2017, Velta launched a research and development center to innovate a new method to produce titanium powder as an alternative to titanium sponge. This patented approach to titanium powder is significantly faster and more environmentally responsible than existing titanium sponge. The company has since scaled up the semi-industrial production of metallic titanium powder at its Dnipro, Ukraine-based R&D Center, and established two new divisions to strengthen its vertical integration efforts and fortify its market position. These new units include Velta Additive Technology, which produces finished titanium products using additive manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing, and Velta Medical, which manufactures custom titanium medical implants in Ukraine.
As the company moves forward with its commercial and R&D operations in Ukraine, it is engaged in an intensive site selection process to build a world-class titanium powder production facility in the United States. Last month, Velta announced it had retained the global engineering consultancy Hatch to develop its new US facility, which will initially produce 1,000 tonnes of titanium powder annually. Velta looks forward to updating the market on its US facility’s progress and new commercial partnerships in Europe and North America.