Midhani or Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited, the defence public sector metallurgy unit, will be showcasing its latest five new nickel and titanium metal alloy products of high strength, light weight, anti-corrosive and malleable for use in strategic sectors of defence and aero-space as well as various other civilian uses during the ongoing ‘Aero-India 2023’ show in Bengaluru.
“Every year we are developing four-five special material products to make us stand out in the market. Last year, we have launched six metal alloys in the show, and this year, there will be a massive demonstration of aero-space metal alloys developed by us,” informed Chairman and Managing Director S.K. Jha, in an exclusive interaction.
The Hyderabad firm will be showcasing the special grade alloy materials of about 14 varieties being used in the manufacture of indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mark 1 and Mark 2 by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and also the very recent making of gear boxes and bearings for the Light Combat Helicopters (LCH), Light Utility Helicopters (LUH), along with other variants.
“All these were being imported earlier. We are now supplying the key materials like five varieties of steel developed in house for every kind of helicopter being manufactured by the HAL. We have also developed titanium alloy material for Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), and all the materials grades into making the engine and other parts of the Sukhoi fighter jets,” said the CMD.
A new UAV - unmanned aircraft vehicle developed by the DRDO, having a high payload capacity for carrying arms and ammunition made with Midhani-made material, high compressor disc of titanium alloy for aero-engines, nickel-based turbine blades and others, are going to be on display during the event.
The aero-space sector is growing and there is a lot of demand for special materials like nickel, titanium and special steels, hence, the challenge is to develop them in a short time.
“Midhani has a long and successful history in making many metal grades for different manufacturing processes, undergoing stringent quality tests and getting certified by the regulatory agencies,” explained Mr. Jha.
It has well established facilities to make the alloy metals in the form of bars, rings, sheets or plates, wires and castings. “We are setting up new titanium plant to double our capability to 1,000 tonnes per annum and increase the nickel alloy production to another 1,500 tonnes from the current 1,000 tonnes capacity,” he said.
Midhani is not only capable of handling rising demand through in house manufacturing facilities but is also open to collaborations with the private sector, especially in the “finishing” stages, like it has outsourced grinding and finishing plates and rings for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The CMD is also expecting to firm up business deals with foreign firms like Rolls Royce, Pratt & Whitney, Boeing and others for supply of special materials. “Their representatives have visited our facilities recently, certified our processes suggesting some changes. Initially, it will be at a small scale, but we hope to build from there,” he added.
