1791
Gregor mineral
William Gregor identified a magnetic black sand later named titanium.
Titanium did not arrive as a finished commodity. Kroll process 1940 around Luxembourg / US still explains who makes it and which tests it sits in.
Ten dated points, five eras and three milestones below are the spine — not a complete industrial history.
Where it began
Kroll process 1940Luxembourg / US
Timeline
1791Gregor mineral
William Gregor identified a magnetic black sand later named titanium.
1910Hunter process
Matthew Hunter isolated ductile titanium metal in the US.
1940Kroll process
Wilhelm Kroll reduced TiCl4 with magnesium — still the industrial route.
1950sJet age
US and Soviet aero programmes paid for sponge capacity.
1952Ti-6Al-4V
The workhorse α+β alloy was standardised for airframes and later implants.
1960sSR-71 skin
Lockheed used titanium for sustained Mach 3 skin temperatures.
1970sCP grades
Commercially pure grades entered chemical plant and seawater.
1990sMedical ASTM F136
Implant specs tightened interstitial limits (ELI).
2010sAdditive Ti
EBM/LPBF of Ti-6Al-4V for lattices and patient-specific implants.
2020sSponge bottlenecks
Aerospace lead times still track a few Kroll plants, not a commodity pit.
The eras
1940
Kroll process
Wilhelm Kroll reduced TiCl4 with magnesium — still the industrial route.
1952
Ti-6Al-4V
The workhorse α+β alloy was standardised for airframes and later implants.
1970s
CP grades
Commercially pure grades entered chemical plant and seawater.
2010s
Additive Ti
EBM/LPBF of Ti-6Al-4V for lattices and patient-specific implants.
Milestones
Jet age
1950sUS and Soviet aero programmes paid for sponge capacity.
CP grades
1970sCommercially pure grades entered chemical plant and seawater.
Sponge bottlenecks
2020sAerospace lead times still track a few Kroll plants, not a commodity pit.
Knowing this timeline is how to read a mill certificate without treating Titanium as timeless.
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