IperionX sets milestone with first successful titanium furnace production run

IperionX announced the successful commissioning of the Hydrogen Assisted Metallothermic Reduction (HAMRTM) furnace.

This first production run using 100% recycled titanium scrap, in particular the Ti-6Al-4V alloy (titanium grade 5), achieved remarkable results. The oxygen content of the titanium was reduced from 3.42% to below 0.07%, significantly exceeding the ASTM standard of 0.2% for grade 5 titanium. This quality improvement underlines the efficiency and performance of IperionX’s HAMR technology.

Anastasios (Taso) Arima, CEO of IperionX, said: “The IperionX team has achieved a significant technological and commercial milestone for the global titanium industry. Over the past two years, we have successfully operated our titanium pilot production facility in Utah, manufactured high performance titanium products for customers and, most importantly, generated initial revenue for our company. Today, we have proven that our HAMR technology works on a commercial scale. We have successfully increased the production capacity of the furnace by around 60 times and produced high performance titanium that exceeds industry quality standards.”

HAMR technology offers several advantages over conventional processes. These include lower operating temperatures, lower energy consumption, improved process efficiency and shorter production cycles. These advantages not only enable more efficient titanium production, but also significantly reduce investment costs. In the coming months, IperionX plans to further optimize the supporting process equipment to reach full production capacity of the system in Virginia. The system is expected to be fully operational by the end of the fourth quarter of 2024.

“IperionX’s patented technologies underpin its long-term competitive advantages over the Kroll titanium production process – with lower energy consumption, lower capital expenditures, shorter cycle times, higher product yields and the ability to use 100% titanium scrap or refined titanium minerals as feedstock. IperionX plans to expand the capacity of its Titanium Manufacturing Campus by installing modular, low-risk and low-cost HAMR furnaces. IperionX is committed to becoming a leading U.S. titanium producer with annual production in excess of 10,000 tons by 2030. Our goal is to move the entire titanium supply chain to the US – at a lower cost to our customers – and deliver the most sustainable titanium products on the market,” said Arima.

IperionX plans to expand the capacity of its Titanium Manufacturing Campus by installing additional modular HAMR furnaces. By 2030, the company aims to become a leading US titanium producer with an annual production of over 10,000 tons. IperionX’s long-term goal is to move the titanium supply chain to the US while offering the most sustainable titanium products at competitive prices.