Iperion X has received $25 million from the U.S. Department of War to support the build-out of a resilient, fully integrated, and low-cost titanium supply chain. The funds will be applied to the scale-up of production to 1,400 tpa at IperionX’s Titanium Manufacturing Campus in Virginia.
The award has come through the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) program and is part of a $42.5 million obligation expected to be granted over time. The IBAS program is designed to reinforce U.S. defense supply chains mineral-to-metal titanium that reduces reliance on imports and establishes a secure, uninterruptible domestic source of critical materials.
This latest obligation follows prior tranches of $12.5 million and $5 million, which funded long-lead items for titanium manufacturing equipment and to advance the Titan Critical Minerals Project in Tennessee.
IperionX is an American titanium metal and critical materials company that uses patented metal technologies to produce high performance titanium alloys, from titanium minerals or scrap titanium, at lower energy, cost and carbon emissions. Their Titan critical minerals project is the largest JORC-compliant mineral resource of titanium, rare earth, and zircon minerals sands in the United States. Titanium metal and critical minerals are essential for advanced U.S. industries including space, aerospace, defense, consumer electronics, hydrogen, automotive and additive manufacturing.
Press release is available in its original form here.
We’re celebrating getting to the “fringe” of the weekend with a Heat Treat Fringe Friday installment: Riverspan Partnershas acquired United Titanium, a leading U.S. manufacturer of engineered, mission-critical fasteners, fittings and precision components made from titanium, zirconium, and other specialty metals. United Titanium serves critical industries such as defense, aerospace, medical and dental, electronics, petrochemical processing and marine engineering.
While not exactly heat treat, “Fringe Friday” deals with interesting developments in one of our key markets: aerospace, automotive, medical, energy, or general manufacturing.
Dave Thomas Partner Riverspan Partners.
Based on Wooster, Ohio, United Titanium was founded in 1962 and offers comprehensive services such as precision machining, custom fabrication, and advanced inspection and testing.
“We have built a remarkable business together over the past five decades, and I am thrilled that the team has found an ideal partner for the next chapter,” said Mike Reardon, president of United Titanium. “Riverspan deeply appreciates the people and processes that have contributed to our success and is keen to build on those strengths to capitalize on the significant growth opportunities in our core markets. Their expertise will help United Titanium to reinforce its commitment to quality, innovation and high-touch service through further investment in our people and technology. I am excited to see the company continue to prosper.”
“We have tremendous respect for the outstanding business … United Titanium team has built, and we are excited to build on that rich legacy,” said Dave Thomas, partner at Riverspan Partners.
The company will continue to be led by the same senior team and will remain headquartered and an active community member in Wooster, Ohio. As part of the transaction, longtime industry executive Paul Schwarzbaum will join the United Titanium Board of Directors.
Press release is available in its original form here.
An electrically heated batch oven has been shipped to a leading space exploration company. The custom batch oven will be used to stress relieve titanium parts.
Wisconsin Oven Corporation is providing the stress relieving oven, which includes a powered load/unload table. The oven is designed for a maximum operating temperature of 1250°F and provides temperature uniformity of ±15°F at three set points. Uniformity was verified through a nine (9) point profile test before shipment.
The oven is designed to heat and cool loads up to 1,200 pounds per cycle. Parts are placed on a high strength grid and transferred into the 7’ wide x 10’ long x 3’ high work chamber by an automated pusher/extractor system. After processing, the load is extracted onto the load table where 6 high speed fans direct ambient air upwards across the parts for further cooling.
A top-down airflow system delivers heats air vertically down through the chamber for even distribution across the product load. This oven is capable of meeting the requirements of AMS2750G, Class 3, Instrumentation Type A.
The control system features an Allen-Bradley CompactLogix PLC, a Eurotherm programmable temperature controller with advanced auto-tune, and a Eurotherm digital recorder for precise temperature control and data logging.
Mike Grande,
Vice President
of Sales,
Wisconsin Oven
Corporation
“This custom batch oven was designed to deliver exceptional temperature uniformity…and optimized airflow distribution ensures consistent processing and superior part quality,” commented Mike Grande, vice president of Sales for Wisconsin Oven Corporation.
This stress relieving oven was fully factory tested and adjusted prior to shipment from the furnace supplier’s facility. All safety interlocks were checked for proper operation and the equipment was operated at the normal and maximum operating temperatures. This equipment is backed by Wisconsin Oven’s 3-Year WOW™ warranty.
Press release is available in its original form here.
IperionX Limited will receive $12.5 million from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to accelerate the scale-up of a resilient, low-cost, and fully-integrated U.S. mineral-to-metal titanium supply chain. The project will include scaling up to over 1,000 metric tons per year at the Virgnia Titanium Manufacturing Campus.
The $12.5 million will be applied to purchase orders for long-lead, major capital equipment required for the scale-up. Major incremental capacity categories include titanium deoxygenation, sintering and powder metallurgy consolidation systems; near-net-shape component manufacturing and ancillary infrastructure upgrades.
Anastasios (Taso) Arima CEO IperionX Source: IperionX
“This new U.S. Government obligation allows IperionX to move immediately to secure long-lead capital equipment and lock in manufacturing slots with key suppliers. It accelerates our imminent Virginia expansion beyond 1,000 tpa of high-performance titanium manufactured products, and advances a fully integrated, low-cost and traceable American titanium supply chain for defense and commercial customers. This commitment from the DoD is a strong endorsement of our technology, our team, and our mission to reshore a resilient titanium production supply chain in the United States,” said Anastasios (Taso) Arima, IperionXCEO.
In response to the strategic need for increased production capacity of domestic primary titanium metal and manufactured titanium metal components, the project scope under the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) program has been revised to prioritize accelerated expansion of IperionX’s titanium metal and manufacturing production capacity at IperionX’s Virginia Titanium Manufacturing Campus.
This project is part of a previously announced $47.1 million award to strengthen the U.S. Defense Industrial Base by accelerating the scale-up of a resilient, low-cost, and fully-integrated U.S. mineral-to-metal titanium supply chain.
Press release is available in its original form here.
ATI Inc. and The Boeing Company have expanded their agreement for high-performance titanium materials for aerospace. ATI will supply high-performance titanium materials, including long products — such as ingots, billets, rectangles, and bars — and flat-rolled products, including plate, sheet, and coil.
Kimberly Fields President & CEO ATI Inc.
ATI‘s extension and expansion of its long-term titanium products agreement will support Boeing‘s narrowbody and widebody airplane operations.
“We’re proud to expand our decades-long partnership with Boeing,” said Kimberly Fields, president and CEO of ATI. “This agreement reaffirms ATI’s leadership in titanium at a time of accelerating aerospace production and growing demand for differentiated materials. It also deepens our position in high-strength titanium alloys and sheet products…It includes titanium alloy sheet from our new Pageland, South Carolina, facility and draws on the strengths of both our Specialty Materials and Specialty Rolled Products businesses.”
Specialty Rolled Products Source: ATI Inc
ATI is a producer of high-performance materials and solutions for the aerospace and defense markets, and critical applications in electronics, medical and specialty energy, and a Nadcap certified heat treater. They provide alloys in a full range of mill products, forgings, titanium castings, and machined components, designed for the high performance requirements such as for aerospace and defense, oil and gas/chemical process industry, electrical energy, and medical.
Press release is available in its original form here.
Following foundation preparations, Solar Atmospheres will be installing a new titanium drop bottom water quench furnace at their Hermitage, Pennsylvania, location. The new addition will ensure consistent metallurgical results for demanding aerospace and industrial applications.
The new furnace is rated for a maximum operating temperature of 1850°F ±10°F and is designed to process titanium bar and forging loads of up to 7,500 pounds. Measuring 14′ by 54″ wide by 48″ high, workloads will be rapidly transferred into a 7,000-gallon, recirculated water quench tank within seconds.
This investment opens the door to expanded titanium solution treating capabilities and supports Solar Atmospheres’ commitment to innovative thermal processing solutions.
Press release is available in its original form here.
A heat treating company that processes stainless steel, titanium, and other specialty alloys is expanding its operations with a major investment in a larger facility, tripling its heat treatment and surface hardening capacity. The automotive and medical devices industries are among those the company serves at its Twinsburg, Ohio, location.
Thomas Sandholdt CEO Expanite, Inc
With the new equipment, Expanite Inc., a subsidiary of Expanite A/S, based in Denmark, will be able to meet the growing demand for advanced surface hardening and heat treatment solutions. The new furnaces, installed by SECO/WARWICK, have chamber sizes up to 24x24x36 inches and process larger and more complex components. This expansion will allow the company to meet its commitment to sustainability by offering greener alternatives to traditional technologies.
“Our investment is all about meeting the growing demands from our North American customers,” said Thomas Sandholdt, CEO of Expanite. “We’re now able to handle much larger volumes while maintaining the fast lead times and flexibility that our customers expect from Expanite.”
“Our expanded capabilities mean we can now offer our full range of Expanite technologies, including the processes for titanium, right here in the U.S.,” said Claus Løndal, country manager for Expanite North America. “This allows us to serve a wide range of customers while reducing lead times and costs.”
New furnaces installed as part of Expanite’s expansion at its Twinsburg, Ohio, location.
Besides the proprietary Expanite processes, standard vacuum heat treatment processes are offered, including hardening of tool steels (D2, A2, M2, H13, etc.), austenite annealing of stainless (304, 316, etc.), precipitation treatment of PH-steels (17-4PH, 13-8PH, etc.) and specialty treatment of alloys (Inconel 718, MU-metal etc.). The addition of vacuum heat treatment solutions extends the company’s capabilities, offering more solutions, and greater flexibility and ensuring clients receive hardening solutions tailored to their specific needs. In this expansion, Expanite is bringing its patented technology for hardening of titanium to North America.
IperionX, a U.S. titanium metal and critical materials company, recently delivered its first successful titanium furnace production run at the company’s Titanium Manufacturing Campus, based in Virginia. The furnace was installed in April 2024 with full run rate target capacity of at least 125 metric tons per year anticipated by the end of the year.
Anastasios (Taso) Arima CEO IperionX Source: IperionX
IperionX announced the commissioning of the Hydrogen Assisted Metallothermic Reduction (HAMRTM) furnace, noting that the titanium de-oxygenation production run represents a technological milestone for the company with a breakthrough +60x increase in titanium production capacity. The company’s titanium metal and critical minerals are processed for the consumer electronics, space, aerospace, defense, hydrogen, electric vehicles, and additive manufacturing industries.
“Over the last two years, we have successfully operated our pilot titanium production facility in Utah, producing high performance titanium products for customers and importantly – delivering first revenues for our company,” said Anastasios (Taso) Arima, CEO of IperionX.“Today, we demonstrated that our HAMR technology works at commercial scale. We successfully increased the furnace production capacity by ~60x times and produced high performance titanium that exceeds industry quality standards.”
The HAMR furnace is produced entirely from 100% scrap titanium (Ti-6Al-4V alloy, Grade 5 titanium), with a confirmed reduction in oxygen levels from 3.42% to below 0.07%, far exceeding the ASTM standard requirement of 0.2% for Grade 5 titanium. IperionX’s proprietary HAMR technologies offer a range of competitive advantages, including lower operating temperatures, reduced energy consumption, enhanced process efficiency, and accelerated production cycles.
The press release is available in its original form here.
EcoTitanium, a European plant for recycling and refining titanium alloys for critical applications, was opened in France in 2017. It was the first plant in Europe to melt titanium with a cold hearth furnace – a technology that allows users to recycle titanium reverts coming from forging and machining castings from the aerospace supply chain.
The SECO/WARWICK Group was chosen as the main supplier of advanced vacuum metallurgy technology for this strategic European project, securing the creation of an autonomous European titanium channel.
Sławomir Tomaszewski, director of the Vacuum Melting Furnaces Team in the SECO/WARWICK Group, comments, “The innovative VAR furnace will increase the Partner’s production capacity and can respond to the increased demand for titanium in Europe. EcoTitanium has created the first integrated titanium processing plants in Europe, which opens the door to European, ecological, and innovative solutions for the aerospace industry. We are glad that our Group is part of this strategic project and that Retech and SECO/WARWICK brand solutions constitute the core of the machine park.”
Earl Good Managing Director Retech Systems, LLC Source: Retech
“For EcoTitanium, we, as Retech and SECO/WARWICK, delivered two furnaces seven years ago: a plasma furnace (PAM) for consolidation and refining of titanium scrap using plasma torches operating in an inert gas atmosphere, and a VAR arc furnace for further refining of titanium ingots obtained from the PAM furnace. The current contract is a continuation of this project. We will deliver a second VAR furnace, which will significantly increase the Partner’s processing capabilities,” said Earl Good, managing director of Retech.
The new furnace’s advantage is its perfect fit into the customer’s existing infrastructure. For safe operation, VAR furnaces require complex construction work: a bunker, an explosive tunnel, as well as a dedicated control room located outside the furnace operating area.
This system is unique because current solutions in the field of furnace safety will be implemented at the design stage. These solutions result from both the experience gained by EcoTitanium and the SECO/WARWICK Group’s experience.
Source: SECO/WARWICK
“The delivery of this new VAR furnace will help us to secure our customer’s growing needs for producing titanium in the context of unprecedented production ramp-ups. We are pleased to open this new chapter of EcoTitanium’s history with our long-term partner SECO/WARWICK. SECO/WARWICK has indeed offered us best-in-class solutions in the field of vacuum metallurgy technology, in particular with its PAM systems from its Retech brand, which allows us to use around 75% of recycled materials and to divide by up to four the CO2 emissions created by titanium melting,” says Jean-François Juéry, president of EcoTitanium.
Titanium, a transition metal with unique properties, is valued for its strength-to-weight ratio. It has comparable durability to steel but is 50% lighter, making it an attractive choice for industries looking for strength without additional weight. The aerospace industry consumes over 30% of global demand, and the chemical sector another 40%. Additionally, titanium has found use in medicine, especially in joint replacement procedures, dental implants, and electronics.
This press release is available in its original form here.
IperionX Limited and Vegas Fastener Manufacturing, LLC (Vegas Fastener) have agreed to partner to develop and manufacture titanium alloy fasteners and precision components with IperionX’s advanced titanium products.
The commercial focus of this partnership is on developing and manufacturing titanium alloy fasteners and precision components for the U.S. Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC), which is the United States Armed Forces’ research and development facility for advanced technology in ground systems. GSVC’s research and development includes robotics, autonomy, survivability, power, mobility, intelligent systems, maneuver support and sustainment.
Additionally, the partners will design, engineer and produce titanium fasteners for critical sectors such as the aerospace, naval, oil & gas, power generation, pulp & paper and chemical sectors. These sectors demand fasteners that provide not only high strength-to-weight ratios but also exceptional corrosion resistance for high-performance applications.
Vegas Fastener, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, is a global leader in the development and manufacturing of high-performance fasteners and custom machined components. Together with its allied company, PowerGen Components, Vegas Fastener serves a diverse array of customers in the defense, marine, power generation, oil & gas, nuclear, chemical, and water infrastructure sectors. Vegas Fastener develops and manufactures precision high-performance fasteners using specialized alloys to meet demanding quality specifications.
IperionX’s leading titanium technology portfolio includes high-performance near-net shape titanium products, semi-finished titanium products, spherical titanium powder for additive manufacturing and metal injection molding, and angular titanium powder for a wide range of advanced manufacturing applications. These innovative patented technologies allow for sustainability and process energy efficiencies over the traditional Kroll titanium production process.
Image above: High-performance fasteners manufactured by Vegas Fastener
This press release is available in its original form here.
