The development of thin-wall titanium castings was part of the Metals Affordability Initiative begun in 1999 by the Air Force Research Laboratory as an effort to reduce the cost of manufacturing metal components for aerospace applications. Over the past several years, the Metals Affordability Initiative (MAI) has provided support for advanced processing technologies with the goal of reducing the cost of military aircraft and support systems. MAI efforts at Howmet and Boeing have been directed toward the production and implementation of thin-wall titanium alloy investment castings to replace components that currently are either machined or sheet metal fabrications.
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