Spirit AeroSystems and Norsk Titanium AS have entered into a commercial agreement to produce 3D-printed structural titanium components for the commercial aerospace industry.

Norsk Titanium's proprietary plasma arc Rapid Plasma Deposition (RPD) technology will be used to build up the parts to a near-net shape, reducing waste, using less energy and reducing product costs by up to 30 percent.

Spirit currently builds thousands of titanium parts for multiple customers around the globe and expects that at least 30 percent of them could be candidates for the RPD process.

"We are pleased to enter into this innovative commercial agreement with Norsk Titanium to fabricate compliant and high-quality parts for our customers," said Spirit President and CEO Tom Gentile. "Reducing our material cost and our environmental impact is a win-win for Spirit, our customers and the communities where we do business."

Spirit AeroSystems and Norsk Titanium have been working together to develop this technology for the aerospace industry since 2008. This commercial agreement between the two companies solidifies and extends the partnership and identifies specific parts that can be immediately produced using RPD.

"As the Spirit and Norsk Titanium relationship approaches its 10th year, we reflect on the value of this partnership and the significant milestones achieved during the transition from R&D to production," said Norsk Titanium CEO Warren Boley. "We recently announced becoming the world's first FAA-approved 3D-printed structural titanium provider and Spirit is the ideal tier-one aerostructures partner to leverage this pioneering capability."