Titanium products - From the outer space to the shelf of your kitchen

As a general trend, titanium products for the consumer markets are a one of the rather new uses of titanium. It’s been around a decade since prices in manufacturing and processing of the metal got to a sufficiently low levels so it became acceptable and efficient to be used in consumer applications. Today this segment represents around 15% of the titanium market and has the fastest growth ratio of all, more than double of the growth of titanium market in general.

Titanium superior weight to strength ratio regarding all other metals made that first titanium products to come from the sports area, the first major application being in bicycles. Major use was in tubing for the frames, and other parts made from titanium alloys being brakes, cassettes, seat springs. The success and superior qualities of titanium tubing, especially in road bikes have also sparked the interest of wheelchairs and racing wheelchairs manufacturers.

The next contender from the sport field was represented by titanium golf clubs, mainly due to the same old strength to weight ratio. The use of titanium alloys for manufacturing golf clubs first started at the end of 80s by Japanese golf manufacturers. In a very short period of time titanium clubs went from exclusive and expensive tools available only to small groups of players to clubs for the mainstream players (though they are still more expensive than steel clubs). The golf market has also been approached by titanium golf balls producers.

Titanium entered the cookware market through a backdoor, actually. Initially, it was used for diving knives, for which titanium was a natural solution due to its quasi-inertia in marine environment. The next logical step was to be used in more common knives and other household items, though usually these are rarely made entirely of titanium, but rather from steel with a titanium coating.

The steel with a titanium coated blade seemed attractive for shaving razor manufacturers and several offered devices based on it for the hairy beards, such as Wilkinson, with their brand Schick Quattro Titanium and Remington, with electrical shavers.

The main advantages of titanium – strength and lightness - are not as important in the common kitchen. Mountaineers do value titanium cook sets and utensils though, and they are also more likely to be familiar with them as titanium fasteners, ice screws and ice picks have long been designed as one of their most endeared applications.

Titanium has already been widely used in medicine for many years now. Advantages are strength, corrosion resistance, with the main reason being the virtually allergy free properties of titanium, compared to nickel, a component of stainless steel, widely used in surgical instruments. Titanium is commonly found in titanium dental implants and other body implants, including in critical places such as heart valves.

Consumer electronics is very new, but fast growing market for titanium products. In many cases titanium is used in consumer electronics products not only for its superior properties, but for its unique appearance, so that you can hastily find it in modern cases of notebook computers and cell phones, or other hi-tech electronic equipment.

Titanium eyeglass frames are a somewhat new application, trying to take advantage of the strong, lightweight and flexible solution that titanium can provide.

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