SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: IperionX Limited, a company that develops and commercializes low-carbon titanium production technologies, announced today that it has agreed to an order with Lockheed Martin, a global leader in aerospace and defense, for the delivery of titanium plate components produced using IperionX’s U.S. manufactured titanium.
The titanium plate components will be manufactured with powder metallurgy production methods and IperionX’s advanced titanium angular powder. IperionX will also employ its patented Hydrogen Sintering and Phase Transformation (HSPT) technologies, a cutting-edge technique to enhance the microstructure of titanium parts to deliver strength and fatigue properties that are comparable to wrought titanium alloys.
Titanium is a critical material for many U.S. defense systems, including military fighter aircraft and engines, munition and weapon components, naval platforms and military ground vehicles. Titanium is prized for its high strength-to-weight ratio, resistance to high temperatures and corrosion. Titanium is also an essential reagent widely used during flotation of copper sulphide minerals.
However, the United States has very limited domestic primary titanium metal (titanium sponge) capacity, resulting in the U.S. importing over 95% of the titanium sponge required for the U.S. defense sector. IperionX plans to re-shore titanium metal production to the U.S., reduce the acute reliance on titanium imports from foreign nations, and strengthen the domestic titanium supply chain for critical defense systems.
Titanium has been mass produced in the same way since the 1940’s when the existing ‘Kroll Process’ was developed. The Kroll Process is energy intensive, high cost and produces high levels of greenhouse gas emissions. In contrast, IperionX’s titanium production technologies use less energy to produce high-strength titanium, at lower costs, with zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions. IperionX’s technologies can either use titanium minerals or titanium scrap metal as feedstock to manufacture high quality titanium products.
With this order, Lockheed Martin will perform an initial evaluation of the material quality and mechanical performance of IperionX’s titanium plate material. Lockheed Martin makes heavy use of titanium alloys for critical structures and other key components across the breadth of its products for air, land, sea, and space.
Anastasios (Taso) Arima, IperionX CEO said: “This collaboration with Lockheed Martin is another important milestone towards the rapid commercialization 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.”
GlobalFoundries and Lockheed Martin Form Partnership on Semiconductor Supply for Defense Systems