MEDIA RELEASE

Internationally renowned Powder Metallurgy scientist to visit New Zealand

- 2 June 2011

New Zealand’s groundbreaking titanium powder metallurgy group, the Titanium Industry Development Association (TiDA), is hosting a symposium on powder metallurgy industry advances including medical, industrial, aerospace and automotive, on Thursday 9 June.

Prominent international academic, Prof. Dr. Bernd Kieback, is keynote speaker at the symposium. Dr. Kieback is a leading expert in the field of powder metallurgy and is the Director of Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM) in Dresden and Director of Institute of Materials Science, Technical University of Dresden.

The two institutes, headed by Prof. Kieback, are leaders for powder metallurgy development and commercialisation in Europe. The institutes invest in start-up companies and many of the lead companies in this field are led by people who have worked at these institutes. Prof. Kieback is recognised as Germany’s leader in the field of powder metallurgy.

The symposium will provide the opportunity for industry leaders and academics to gain a further understanding of the impact on future industry and product development. Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, together with the University of Waikato, will be supporting the event, to be held at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic’s Windermere Campus.

Warwick Downing, TiDA Chief Executive, said TiDA was thrilled to be hosting Prof. Kieback. “New Zealand, and in particular Tauranga is leading the world in Titanium development, and to have a speaker of this calibre in Tauranga, supports the research and development we have achieved.”

Powder metallurgy was first developed over 75 years ago and now includes many different consolidation methods which allow extremely high-quality metal components to be manufactured with precision so there is little or no need for further machining.

Powder metallurgy is now widely used by many industries including automotive, electronics, military, medical and dental industries. It is particularly well-suited for complex geometry and miniaturised parts as computer aided design leads to quicker development times, cheaper development costs and more efficient and lightweight products.

Titanium and titanium alloys offer unparalleled advantages in powder metallurgy. It has the highest strength to weight ratio of any metal; is lightweight; corrosion resistant; is the fourth most abundant metal in the earth’s crust; has low electrical and thermal conductivity; good ductility; excellent fracture resistance; non-magnetic property; non-toxicity; biocompatibility; cryogenic properties; shape memory properties; and hydrogen affinity (for hydrogen storage).

Demand for titanium products continues to soar as consumers want the most advanced laptops, mobile phones, cameras and sports gear available. Titanium is also used by a diverse range of industries such as aerospace, industrial, medical and automotive, where no other metal is as reliable or economical.

Following the 9 June symposium, Prof. Kieback will spend a short time travelling throughout New Zealand meeting with other key organisations to further strengthen industry and academic ties within the powder metallurgy fields.

ENDS