Titanium Today, Issue 8 2023

By Motoi Miki, Executive Director JTS

First of all, I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to post an article in TITANIUM TODAY. The International Titanium Association and JTS have had a long cooperative relationship. We would like to continue working together to contribute to the development of the world’s titanium industry. Here, we will introduce JTS and the Japanese titanium industry, both of which have celebrated their 70th anniversary.

Japanese titanium industry started in 1952, following the United States. On the other hand, the Japan Titanium Society was established in 1952 at the dawn of the Japanese titanium industry as the world’s first titanium-related organization.

In 1952, there were ten titanium smelters in Japan. Of these, only two still exist: Osaka Titanium Technologies and Toho Titanium. Japanese sponge titanium production reached 2,500 to 3,000 tons a year between 1956 and 1959, most of which was exported to the United States for use in Cold War fighter engines.

For seven years after Japan’s defeat in the Pacific war, the occupation army GHQ prohibited Japan to develop and manufacture aircraft, so the aircraft industry, which is an important use of titanium, did not grow in Japan. The expansion of titanium wrought materials in Japan was supported by the development of applications in fields other than aircraft.

In the 1960s, it began to be applied to chemical manufacturing equipment. It is used for the lining of reaction vessels and reaction towers, electrodes, etc., which require corrosion resistance. Since the latter half of the 1970s, it has been used in power plant condensers. From the 1970s, it was used for watch cases and bands, and from the 1980s, it was used for eyeglass frames. It is used for weight reduction and biocompatibility. The shipment volume of wrought titanium material increased, reaching 7,700 tons in 1982.

JTS also sent technical missions to the Middle East six times between 1984 and 1999 with the aim of applying welded titanium tubes to seawater desalination plants. Thanks to this, it was adopted for a large scale seawater desalination plant. Since the latter half of the 1980s, it has been used for roofs and walls of modern architecture, taking advantage of titanium’s life cycle cost, weight reduction, and design. Since 2010, it has been used for the roofs of traditional Japanese architecture such as temples and shrines.

Since the mid-1990s, it has been used in golf drivers due to its light weight, large size, and high repulsion performance, and has been favored by most golfers. It is also used in mufflers for mass-produced motorcycles due to its weight reduction, pleasant exhaust sound, and burnt color. It is also used in connecting rods and valve retainers made of titanium alloys, and has begun to be applied to computer and camera cases, reaching over 10,000 tons in 1997, and 19,700 tons in 2008. In this way, as the demand for titanium increased, the number of companies involved in the titanium industry and those considering entering the industry increased.

In 2014, it was adopted as a separator for the fuel cell installed in the fuel cell vehicle MIRAI, contributing to carbon neutrality. This is an epoch-making development of applications for titanium, and in fiscal 2022, Toyota Motor Corporation, the developer of the technology, was awarded the association’s highest award, the Distinguished Service Award.

The most common applications for titanium in Japan:

• Chemical plants. Titanium is used in many types of chemical processing equipment. About 30 percent of titanium used domestically in Japan is for chemical plants.

• Seawater/Heat Exchangers. Titanium is used in nuclear and fossil-fuel power generating stations for large heat exchangers. Condenser tubes for heat exchangers represent about 20 percent of domestic titanium consumption in Japan.

• Daily Life. Titanium is used for consumer goods, sports equipment, medical applications and building materials. These applications represent about 30 percent of domestic titanium consumption in Japan.

• Aerospace. In Japan, only 3 percent of titanium is consumed for domestic aerospace applications, compared with about 70 percent in the United States.

• Titanium awareness activity. Staff training courses (Tokyo/ Kansai), titanium workshop, Exhibition at various exhibitions (metal materials, medical, ships, fasteners).

• Dissemination of titanium information to members Publication of bulletin “TITANIUM JAPAN” (four issues per year, currently Vol. 70), Send titanium information by e-mail.

• Usage development activities.

• Development meeting activities (application development activities in the Medical subcommittee, Ship WG, Construction WG, and Welfare/Medical WG). Titanium demand development subsidies (for associate members only) Seawater desalination mission (Middle East, 1984-1999).

• Development of titanium standards. ISO (Japan is the secretariat country for titanium. 11 standards have been established) JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) TIS (JTS Standard) FRS (Fastener Research Standard) WES (Japan Welding Society Standard) Cooperation with the Japan Welding Society.

• Research presentation. Presentation at the Japan Institute of Metals, the Iron and Steel Institute, and the Titanium World Congress.

• Industry-academia collaboration. Grant for titanium research (for young researchers at research institutes). Industry-academia exchange meeting for young people (paper presentation competition) Collaboration with the Titanium Society.

• International exchange. To the International Titanium Association Participation in the annual convention.

• Compatible with carbon neutral A subcommittee has been set up, and work is underway to obtain PCR certification (target for the end of fiscal 2022).

Purpose of the 70th Anniversary Commemorative Project

Praising the efforts of our predecessors, celebrating the 70th anniversary with everyone involved in titanium; resolved to contribute to the development of the titanium industry in the future, and to express it internally and externally.

The 70th anniversary event of the Japan Titanium Society (JTS) was held at Gakushi Kaikan in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo on November 22, 2022. Titanium Konwakai, the predecessor of the Titanium Association, was established on December 19, 1952. JTS will celebrate its 70th anniversary on December 19, 2022. The following program was held on the day. Seats were reserved to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, and the tournament was crowded with 187 participants and the party with 171 participants.

• Message from the Chairman: Takashi HIROSE

• Guest speech: Daisuke MATSUNO, Manager, Metals Division, Manufacturing Industries Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

• Award ceremony: 15 people and 3 companies were award. They have contributed to the titanium industry.

• Special Lecture: Tsuyoshi TANE (Architect, Representative of Atelier Tsuyoshi Tane Architects) “Archaeology of the Future.” (He lectured remotely from Paris on architecture using titanium).

• Commemorative Lecture by Technology Award Winners:

1 Matsuhide HORIKAWA (Toho Titanium Co., Ltd.)

“Development of titanium foil manufacturing technology by smooth electrodeposition method.”

2 Yasuyuki FUJII (Kobe Steel, Ltd.) “Differentiated product of titanium plate using cold rolling technology.”

3 Shutoku TAKEBE(Nippon Steel Corp.) “Mechanism of manifestation of size effect in thin titanium sheet and structure control of ultra-thin material.

• Panel discussion: “Future Vision of the Japanese Titanium Industry” Panelist: 1) Takayoshi ITO, director, Metal Technology Office, Metal Division, Manufacturing Industries Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. 2) Toru OKABE, director, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo Toho Titanium Co., Ltd., executive officer.

3) Matsuhide Horikawa, operating officer, Toho Titanium Co., Ltd.; Takashi Yashiki, titanium factory manager, Kobe Steel, Ltd. Coordinator: 1 Yoji YATSUNAMI, chairman of the Development Committee (Nippon Steel Corporation, general manager of Titanium Engineering Department).

Data of JTS

Dawn of Japanese titanium industry:

• 1946 Dr. Kroll Participates in U.S. Bureau of Mines’ Titanium Test Plant Construction

• 1947 U.S. Bureau of Mines makes two tons of titanium sponge

• 1951 Annual output of 500 tons of sponge titanium in the United States

• 1952 Commencement ceremony for titanium metal production of Osaka Special Steel Manufacturing Co. (predecessor of OTC)

• 1952 Nov. The Cabinet approves the Titanium Industry Scholarship Policy Guidelines. (tax exemptions and subsidies to titanium industry)

• 1952 Nov. Osaka Titanium Co. Ltd. Established

• 1953 May Dr. Kroll visits Japan

• 1953 Aug. Toho Titanium established; end of 1953, 10 titanium sponge smelting companies start

• 1952 19th of Dec.: Titanium Social Gathering (Predecessor of JTS) inauguration

• 1954: Titanium Social Gathering (Corporation)

• 1969: Japan Titanium Society Corporation

• 1982: The 30th Anniversary Symposium (Kobe city) Guests: J .W .Byrne (TIMET),T .W .Farthing (IMI), J .Hure (Cezus)

• 1992: The 40th Anniversary Convention (Tokyo) Guests: L. Fredrick (TDA President), David k. Peacock (TIG President)

• 2002: The 50th Anniversary Convention (Tokyo)

• 2012: The Japan Titanium Society (Institute)

• The 60th Anniversary Convention (Tokyo)

• 2022: The 70th Anniversary Convention (Tokyo)

Chairman: NAKAGAWAJI (Osaka Titanium Manufacturing), Director: KUSUMOTO (Kobe Steel), and TANAKA (Sumitomo Metals) other

Purpose of establishment: The purpose of establishing this society is to plan the sound development of the whole titanium industry, and therewith, to contribute to improving the lives of the people as well as economic development of the society.

(Note: Motoi Miki is the executive director and secretary general of the JTS.)