American low carbon titanium manufacturer IperionX (ASX: IPX) has received an order with Maryland-based aerospace company Lockheed Martin for the delivery of titanium plate components produced using IperionX’s US manufactured titanium. In doing so, IperionX has the potential to create a more affordable and eco-friendly supply chain for titanium materials within the US.
Titanium is a big deal worldwide, being strong, lightweight and bearing the ability to handle heat and rust. It’s really important for equipment the US uses for defense, like fighter planes, weapons, ships and vehicles. Lockheed Martin uses a lot of this titanium to build parts for its structures that navigate air, land, sea and even space.
Lockheed Martin senior fellow for Additive Manufacturing Processes and Materials, Brian Rosenberger, 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 material.”
The United States doesn’t make much of its own titanium metal (dubbed titanium sponge), so it has to buy more than 95% of it from other countries for its defense needs. IperionX wants to change that by bringing titanium production to the US, making the country more independent.
Lockheed Martin’s titanium plate parts will be crafted using Iperion’s innovative powder metallurgy manufacturing techniques and titanium angular powder. To elevate its performance and longevity, IperionX will also apply its patented Hydrogen Sintering and Phase Transformation (HSPT) technologies. This method enhances the inner structure of the titanium components, making them stronger with endurance similar to traditional wrought titanium alloys.
Since the 1940s, titanium has been made using the ‘Kroll Process’, which uses a lot of energy, costs a bunch and makes a ton of pollution. IperionX does it differently, using less energy and crafting cheaper titanium.
IperionX CEO, Anastasios (Taso) Arima, said, “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.”
What’s more, on August 15, IperionX obtained essential licenses for the Titan Project located in Tennessee. This project holds the biggest JORC-compliant reserve of mineral sands enriched with titanium and rare earths in the United States. Titan stands as one of the most advanced projects concerning crucial minerals in the U.S.
For now, Lockheed Martin has ordered a sample from IperionX, and the two companies have agreed on a price based on how similar elements are sold in the market. The monetary value of this order will not significantly impact IperionX, and it plans on finishing the first set of tests for this order in about 26 weeks.
With its current contracts, IperionX seems well on its way to setting up a robust domestic supply chain for materials like titanium and rare earths.
Alinda is a Business Reporter for The Sentiment
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