In 1957, the first titanium mill was opened in Toronto, Ohio by the Titanium Metals Corp. of America (TIMET). The birth of a tonnage structural metal industry is an unusual event. Only three such births have occurred in the past 100 years - aluminum, magnesium, and titanium. This mill was the first in the U.S. for rolling and forging titanium. The same company had previously opened a titanium plant on 1 Jun 1951 which was the first U.S. fully self-contained and fully integrated producer of titanium metal ingots from titanium ore. In Toronto, Ohio the ingots are forged into slabs, billets and bars. Slabs are subsequently hot rolled to sheet and plate or cold rolled for strip and welded tube applications, bar, rod, and wire.Image: Titanium hip and knee bone implants.