Allegheny Technologies Inc. entered into a new long-term purchase agreement with Pratt & Whitney concerning supplies of isothermal forgings and nickel-based powder alloys for jet engine manufacturing. The LTPA will run from 2017 through 2030 and is expected to generate revenues above $1 billion, according to the Pittsburgh-based specialty metals group.
ATI noted that the new deal builds on a “master terms agreement” it entered into last year with P&W parent company United Technologies Corp.
"Our suppliers are a critical part of our production capacity. Agreements like this secure sources of parts and components for years to come and ensure the capacity investments to support our production ramp," stated Sam Abdelmalek, Pratt & Whitney vice president, Global Supply Chain.
Pratt & Whitney designs and manufactures turbofan engines for commercial and military aircraft. Recently, P&W announced plans to expand its own isothermal forging capacity, part of an approximately $386-million capital investment in Columbus, GA.
In addition to isothermal and hot forging carbon and alloy steel, superalloys, titanium, and other specialty materials, ATI manufacturers castings, mill products, and machined components. Its specialty alloy products include titanium, nickel and cobalt alloys, stainless steels, and superalloys, as well as nickel-based alloy and titanium-based alloy powders.
Alloy powders are critical to sinter forging as well as to additive manufacturing or 3D printing.
Isothermal forging is a closed-die process in which the dies and the workpieces are heated to the same temperature so that forming can take place without loss of temperature. It’s an important capability for suppliers of aerospace and defense forgings that work with high-density, lightweight alloys that must be shaped with lower levels of force in order to preserve the materials’ fine-grain structures.
“Demand for P&W’s game-changing PurePower® Geared Turbofan™ engine (GTF) is scheduled to grow dramatically into the next decade and beyond in support of next-generation narrowbody aircraft build rates,” commented Rich Harshman, ATI chairman, president and CEO. “Through this agreement, ATI significantly increases our content on the GTF engine as well as on the P&W F135 engine for the Joint Strike Fighter program.
Harshman added that the long-term agreement demonstrates ATI’s ability to supply aerospace and defense manufacturers’ demand for innovative products.
“We have tremendous growth ahead, and suppliers like ATI that are willing to sign up to our contractual governance, commitment to cost competitiveness and continuous improvement will continue to have opportunities to grow with us,” Pratt & Whitney’s Abdelmalek noted.