IPERIONX TO PRODUCE TITANIUM PLATE FOR TESTING BY LOCKHEED MARTIN
IperionX Limited (NASDAQ: IPX, ASX: IPX) has agreed to an order with Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) for the delivery of titanium plate
components produced using IperionX’s U.S. manufactured titanium.
IperionX’s advanced titanium production technologies have the potential to provide a lower cost and more sustainable U.S. domestic supply chain for titanium raw material.
“Reducing the cost of titanium components will mean broader use of this material to increase the performance of our products,” said Brian Rosenberger, Lockheed Martin senior fellow for Additive Manufacturing Processes and Materials. “With this order, Lockheed Martin will perform an initial evaluation of
the material quality and mechanical performance of IperionX’s titanium plate material.”
The titanium plate components for Lockheed Martin will be manufactured with powder metallurgy production methods and IperionX’s advanced titanium angular powder. To deliver higher performance and
durability, 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 prized for its high strength-to-weight ratio, resistance to high temperatures and corrosion. 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. 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.
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.
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.”
This announcement has been authorized for release by the CEO and Managing Director.
For further information and enquiries please contact:
info@iperionx.com
+1 704 461 8000
Appendix I: Key terms of the prototype order
The Lockheed Martin prototype order is priced on precedent open market transactions for the provision of similar products and technology services, and the total value of the order is not material to
IperionX’s cash position or balance sheet. IperionX expects an initial prototyping work program to be completed within 26 weeks.
About IperionX
IperionX’s mission is to be the leading developer of low carbon titanium for advanced industries including space, aerospace, electric vehicles and 3D printing. IperionX holds an exclusive option to acquire breakthrough titanium technologies that can produce titanium products that are low carbon and fully circular. IperionX is producing titanium metal powders from titanium scrap at
its operational pilot facility in Utah, and intends to scale production at a Titanium Demonstration Facility in Virginia. IperionX holds a 100% interest in the Titan Project, which has the largest JORC-compliant resource of titanium, rare earth and
zircon rich mineral sands in the U.S.A.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin Corporation is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 116,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the
research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.
About HSPT
Hydrogen Sintering and Phase Transformation (HSPT) is a proprietary technology that forms part of IperionX’s extensive titanium technologies patent portfolio. The HSPT process was developed as a
low-cost titanium powder metallurgy process to produce high performance titanium alloys with wrought-like microstructures and mechanical properties.
Zhigang Zak Fang, James D. Paramore, Pei Sun, K. S. Ravi Chandran, Ying Zhang, Yang Xia, Fei Cao, Mark Koopman & Michael Free (2018) Powder metallurgy of titanium – Past, present, and future, International
Materials Reviews, 63:7, 407-459, DOI: 10.1080/09506608.2017.1366003
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