Production of Titanium

The manufacture of titanium from ore to mill product comprises three main steps:

• reduction of titanium ore (rutile, ilmenite) to a porous form of titanium metal called sponge.
• melting of the sponge, plus alloying elements in the case of alloys, to form ingots.
• forming of ingots either via slabs into general mill products or via intermediate shaping into rods or open-die forgings.

The first two stages are specific to titanium; ingots are converted into semi-finished products by forging and rolling processes similar to those used for steel.