The organisations aim to advance the application of low cost alloys for additive manufacturing utilising spherical powder produced through IperionX’s titanium technologies.

IperionX and Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee are collaborating to develop low-cost titanium alloys for additive manufacturing using titanium metal powders.

A U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) approved user agreement has been executed to advance work between Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and IperionX at DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) at ORNL.  

ORNL is a 110,000 square foot user facility that is the nation’s only large-scale open access facility for demonstrating R&D manufacturing technologies and optimising critical processes.

The User Agreement includes the key objective of evaluation and characterisation of titanium spherical powders produced through IperionX’s technologies for use in additive manufacturing, including opportunities to use titanium powders to parts which are currently relying on other metals, including stainless steel and aluminium.

Another key objective of the agreement includes demonstration that pressed and sintered parts produced using IperionX’s titanium powders have equivalent or better characteristics to parts produced using industry standard titanium powders.

The user agreement will compliment an ongoing project to qualify and demonstrate the performance of IperionX’s titanium powder for additively manufactured aerospace parts, supporting a project with the U.S. Navy to test titanium flight critical metal replacement components for the U.S Department of Defense (DoD).

Anastasios Arima, IperionX’s Managing Director and CEO, said: “We are extremely pleased to be working with ORNL. The laboratory is an ideal partner for IperionX, with expertise in additive manufacturing, along with a strong interest in identifying new powder feedstocks that lower costs and increase energy efficiency, particularly in transportation.”

Arima added: "Both organisations share Tennessee roots, and we look forward to progressing the User Agreement and establishing a strong relationship between IperionX and ORNL.”

ORNL has taken part in numerous collaborations with advanced manufacturing companies, such as Volkswagen, NASA and Boeing. The laboratory has also recently engaged in collaborative research with Siemens to focus on U.S. manufacturing innovation.

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