TITAL, the investment casting specialist from Bestwig, Germany, was able to realise an order for the renowned helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland within a very short development cycle. TITAL initially produced prototype aluminum gearbox parts for the AW 149, AW 169 and AW 189 of the Anglo-Italian helicopter company and meanwhile started series production. "Together with AgustaWestland we developed a total of three different parts for the tail gearboxes of these models. Approval and qualification were reached at an early stage", Michael Kersting – TITAL's Account Manager explains. The parts have a size of approximately 350 x 350 x 400 mm. Aluminum is an especially well suited material for this application. The parts are made as aluminum investment castings.

It took only three months for TITAL to develop these parts. According to Michael Kersting, the main success factor for this was the good team work between the competent engineers at TITAL and their English colleagues from AgustaWestland. "We worked together with very good and highly skilled engineers who understood the advantages of investment casting and consequently applied them", Kersting happily comments the good cooperation between TITAL and the helicopter manufacturer. AgustaWestland was created by a merger of the Italian companies Finmeccanica, Agusta and the British Westland Helicopter Company.

For AgustaWestland this is not the first cooperation with the German technology leader. TITAL was already involved in the production of the AW159, known as "Future Lynx", now an export success in South Korea. AgustaWestland is one of their long-standing customers and thus TITAL hopes to receive long-term orders for the AW149, AW169 and AW189. According to the TITAL management the co-development and production of investment castings for helicopters is a dynamic area of activities. TITAL is specialised in the field of aerospace and also involved in the development of the investment casting gearbox parts for the SKYe SH09 helicopter of the Swiss helicopter manufacturer Marenco.