Our Business

Titanium Business

　Titanium manufactured by the Company's Titanium Business consists of titanium sponge and titanium ingot, which is made by melting titanium sponge further and molding it. The Company manufactures titanium sponge using a method based on the "Kroll process," which obtained titanium tetrachloride by reacting raw material ore (the primary constituent of which is titanium dioxide) with chlorine and refining the result, then reduces the titanium tetrachloride with magnesium metal. Original technologies have also been incorporated into this method.
    One of the major characteristics of the method is the vacuum distillation method adopted for separating and eliminating magnesium metal and magnesium chloride from the titanium sponge produced. This method enables the Company to manufacture high-quality titanium sponge, which is principally exported as an aircraft material. Titanium sponge made by the Company has been valued for its high quality by users around the world for many years.
    Meanwhile, the Company manufactures titanium ingot by pressing titanium sponge into the form of briquettes, and melting them in a vacuum arc remelting (VAR) furnace. Ingots produced in the VAR furnace are cylindrical in shape and weigh up to about 15 tons apiece. In addition, the Company manufactures rectangular ingots (weighing 10 tons apiece) using an electron beam (EB) remelting furnace. The two types of titanium ingots are primarily shipped to mill products manufacturers in Japan.
    Titanium tetrachloride is used in diverse fields, for example, as in-process material for its titanium products, as catalyst components for manufacturing polyethylene and other polymers and as a raw material for pearl pigments and deposition materials for industrial tools. Moreover, the Company manufactures high-purity titanium used for the sputtering targets employed in the deposition of thin films to create compound semiconductors. Its subsidiary, Toho Technical Service Co., Ltd., also manufactures titanium powder and processed fabricated products. Each of these products has earned high marks from users.

Setting the bar for quality & expanding application fields,
our original production and quality management technologies are
winning global recognition.

    The reliance of the demanding aerospace industry on our titanium metals for use in engine parts and structural parts to reduce aircraft weight is eloquent testimony to the excellence of Toho Titanium's manufacturing technology. The technological requirements of aircraft and rocket manufacturers are extremely severe. Starting with the very first delivery and extending over a long period of time, we must consistently produce and supply product quality that meets strict specifications, otherwise we will lose our certification to supply this key industry. In fact, it is because of our commitment to supplying the aerospace industry with absolute product quality that our company has been able to maintain its leadership as a titanium metal producer. Also, in the supply of titanium metals for the manufacture of motor vehicles, offshore platforms, power plants, construction and medical equipment as well as other consumer and public-oriented products, we satisfy the needs of our customers and earn their confidence with quality they can always depend on. In addition, the life cycle of titanium products is very long, and the material can be recycled. Toho Titanium is vigorously promoting the recycling of this resource, and operates its own recycling line. Exploiting its characteristics as an environment-friendly material, we are promoting the expanding practical application of titanium in more fields. Titanium metals that bear the brand “Made by Toho Titanium” are winning growing recognition around the world as the product of superior technology and quality.

Titanium production process (Kroll process)

Chlorination Process	Reduction Process	Melting process
titanium dioxide contained in titanium mineral ore is mixed with chlorine gas to produce a chemical reaction that produces titanium tetrachloride. In the subsequent fractional distillation process, impurities are eliminated to as close to zero as possible. TiO2+2Cl2+CTiCl4+CO2	Through a reaction between distilled titanium tetrachloride and molten magnesium, porous titanium sponge is produced. Vacuum distillation is then used to eliminate the magnesium metal and magnesium chloride that remains, resulting in high-quality titanium sponge. TiCl4 + 2MgTi + 2MgCl2	Briquettes formed by pressing titanium sponge are melted in a vacuum arc remelting (VAR) furnace and formed into huge cylindrical ingots of titanium, each weighing as much as 15tons. Toho Titanium also produces titanium ingots in a rectangular form using the electron beam (EB) remelting process.

 From titanium sponge to titanium fabrication

    Titanium sponge is obtained through a process of chlorination of the oxide form, followed by fractional distillation and then reduction. The resulting sponge is subjected to vacuum arc remelting to create titanium ingots. Then, depending on the intended end-use, the ingot is further processed (rolling, forging, casting) to produce titanium mill products such as slabs plates, sheets, rods, pipes and wire. In addition to supplying mill products manufacturers with titanium ingots, Toho Technical Service Co., Ltd., a company of the Toho Titanium Group, provides made-to-order fabrication of a variety of titanium products for customers in a wide range of industries. Toho Technical Service enjoys a strong reputation for its expertise in not only fabrication and welding technologies but also surface treatment technologies such as detailed coloring technology by anodic oxidation. In the course of meeting and overcoming the challenge of extremely difficult fabrication orders, this company has produced epoch-making breakthroughs continuously.

Development of new titanium production process

    The development of a new production process that will reduce manufacturing costs and raise productivity is the holy grail of the titanium industry. Ultimately the realization of this technology will render titanium less rare and expensive, and bring the wonderful advantages of this metal into more general use. At Toho Titanium, we have researched several approaches including methods that use calcium. With the aim of making the use of titanium metal more accessible, we will vigorously continue our research into the industrialization of innovative processes.