IperionX
IperionX has agreed an order with Lockheed Martin for the delivery of titanium plate components produced using IperionX’s U.S. manufactured titanium. IperionX told TCT in a recent interview that its manufacturing process allows for an “infinitely recyclable” supply chain of titanium.
Brian Rosenberger, Lockheed Martin Senior Fellow for Additive Manufacturing Processes and Materials said: “Reducing the cost of titanium components will mean broader use of this material to increase the performance of our products. With this order, Lockheed Martin will perform an initial evaluation of the material quality and mechanical performance of IperionX’s titanium plate metal.”
The components will be manufactured with powder metallurgy production methods and IperionX’s titanium angular powder. IperionX will also employ its patented Hydrogen Sintering and Phase Transformation (HSPT) technologies, a technique which it says enhances the microstructure of titanium parts to deliver strength and fatigue properties that are comparable to wrought titanium alloys.
“This collaboration with Lockheed Martin is another important milestone towards the rapid commercialisation of IperionX’s breakthrough low-carbon titanium technologies. These patented technologies can either use titanium minerals or titanium scrap metal as feedstock to manufacture high quality titanium products at significantly lower cost and carbon footprint than existing production processes," said Anastasios "Taso" Arima, IperionX CEO.
According to IperionX, the US has a ‘very limited’ domestic primary titanium metal (titanium sponge) capacity, resulting in the import of over 95% of the titanium sponge required for the US defence sector. IperionX says it plans to re-shore titanium metal production to the US, reduce the acute reliance on titanium imports from foreign nations, and strengthen the domestic supply chain for critical defence systems.
