• The award is for IPX’s Hydrogen Assisted Metallothermic Reduction (HAMR) process
  • The tech can produce low-cost titanium from scrap titanium or minerals
  • Titanium is a strong, light and corrosion resistant metal vital for aerospace and defence

 

IperionX has won the prestigious R&D 100 award for its innovative Hydrogen Assisted Metallothermic Reduction (HAMR) technology – a low cost and sustainable process for producing high value titanium metal powder. 

Titanium is superior to both steel and aluminium in many applications, but its cost has traditionally limited its use to high performance applications. Until now. 

A breakthrough discovery made by Dr. Zak Fang and the team at the University of Utah – that hydrogen can destabilize the bond between titanium and oxygen – led to the development of the innovative, low cost HAMR process.

HAMR can produce titanium metal from either 100% titanium scrap or from titanium minerals.

The resulting high quality titanium powder can be used in additive manufacturing or powder metallurgy to deliver products in a broad range of demanding applications, including aerospace, defence, and biomedical, with dramatically lower costs and increased sustainability.

 

A ‘transformative’ technology

IperionX (ASX:IPX) CEO Anastasios Arima said the award underscores the transformative potential of the HAMR process in the metallurgical sector.

“It is pleasing that Dr. Zak Fang, his team at the University of Utah, and IperionX have been recognized for the development and commercialization of the HAMR technology to produce low cost, sustainable titanium metal powders, highlighting an important contribution to innovation and the significant progress made to develop and commercialize this truly revolutionary titanium technology,” he said.

“With the HAMR process, we’re not just ushering in a new era of titanium production; we’re welcoming the world to the Titanium Age,” added Arima.

 

Lower cost than traditional process

For more than 50 years, huge effort has been applied to developing a new titanium processing technology to replace the incumbent Kroll process in order to lower the cost and environmental impacts associated with the production of titanium metal.

Until HAMR, those efforts have failed to meet quality requirements, cost reduction needs or commercial scalability.

In contrast to the Kroll process, HAMR uses low-temperature processing, cuts direct carbon emissions and substantially reduces the cost of producing titanium metal.

When using 100% titanium scrap as feedstock, the HAMR process can create a circular supply chain for this advanced metal that is critical to America’s economic future and national security.

 

Commercialisation process proven

IperionX’s aim is to become a leading American titanium metal and critical materials company, using patented tech to produce high performance titanium alloys, from titanium minerals or scrap titanium, at lower energy, cost and carbon emissions.

With the commercialisation of the HAMR process already proven at the IperionX’s industrial pilot facility in Salt Lake City, Utah, they are well on the way to achieving that goal.

Just last week U.S. aerospace and defence giant Lockheed Martin ordered titanium plate components to be produced using the company’s U.S. manufactured low-cost, sustainable titanium.

To meet the increasing demand for sustainable and lower cost titanium metal, IperionX has unveiled ambitious plans to build a larger titanium production facility in Halifax County, Virginia.

Once commissioned, IperionX has well-defined plans to rapidly scale the capacity of this innovative titanium production facility in a low risk, modular fashion.

 

 

This article was developed in collaboration with IperionX, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

 

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.

Read MoreTechTitanium

Featured Companies

You might be interested in