IperionX to produce Ti plates for Lockheed

Market: Metals
17/08/23

US titanium additive manufacturer IperionX has agreed to deliver an undisclosed volume US manufactured titanium plate components to security and aerospace firm Lockheed Martin.

The components will be manufactured through a powder metallurgy process and IperionX's titanium angular powder.

IperionX uses its hydrogen sintering and phase transformation (HSPT) process to produce titanium alloy parts with finer microstructures and stronger mechanical properties comparable to wrought titanium alloys.

Titanium is a critical material for the defense and aerospace sectors for its use in electronics production. Lockheed Martin makes heavy use of titanium alloys for the construction of military aircraft, vehicles and munition.

IperionX expects the global metal additive manufacturing market to exceed $7bn by 2030, from around $500mn in 2021. It plans to increase titanium metal production in the US and create a circular domestic supply chain to reduce imports reliance.

This latest agreement comes after IperionX was approved for permits for its Titan titanium and rare earth mineral project in Tennessee. It aims to build a 125 metric tonne/yr titanium demonstration facility there to produce titanium metal powder.

It expects the Tennessee facility to come on line in 2024, with an accompanied expansion into its first titanium commercial facility of 1,125 t/yr in Halifax County, Virginia, by 2025.

Once in operation, it will have the largest recycled titanium metal powder production capacity globally and will be the only facility using 100pc titanium metal scrap as a feedstock. The project has projected titanium powder production cash costs of $42/kg.

Earlier this year, the company entered a partnership with Ford to supply titanium metal components to the automatker. It also established a recycled titanium supply chain through an agreement with Aperam Recycling to provide titanium feedstock from scrap.

IperionX partnered with centrifugal pump producer Carver Pump in February to produce components for the US Navy to scale up additive manufacturing production of ship and submarine parts.

By Hannah Borai

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IperionX to produce Ti plates for Lockheed

Related news posts

US manufacturing grew in April amid war concerns

US manufacturing grew in April amid war concerns

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