IperionX will use domestically sourced titanium scrap, including from the US Navy, to recycle into high quality titanium to additively manufacture prototype titanium pump components.
Muscatine, Iowa-headquartered Carver will design the titanium pump components, guide IperionX on prototyping, and lead the qualification of these new titanium pump components for use by the US Navy.
Carver’s high-performance centrifugal pumps have been used in every major US Navy shipbuilding program for the past 60 years. Titanium pumps offer exceptional corrosion resistance and are used across a wide range of naval applications including fire suppression, seawater cooling, main propulsion seawater, bilge and desalination.
Titanium components are typically manufactured via titanium casting methods. Many titanium casting operations in the US have closed, and the castings for pumps are currently sourced through an insecure supply chain constrained by higher costs, long lead times and foreign control.
IperionX’s lower cost, lower carbon, US titanium powders can be used to additively manufacture these specialized titanium pump components, and this provides the US Navy with the capability to significantly reduce lead times for critical parts, increase equipment availability, and sustainably re-shore a critical US titanium metal supply chain.
“We are delighted to be working with IperionX to help introduce domestic sourced, 100% recycled titanium into the US Navy’s supply chain,” said Andrew Carver, CEO of Carver. “We see this partnership as the first step in a larger relationship focused on both Navy surface ships as well as new parts for other marine applications.”
“Our partnership with Carver is another important milestone for the rapid commercialization of IperionX’s breakthrough titanium technologies,” said Anastasios (Taso) Arima, IperionX CEO. "We look forward to working closely with Carver to rapidly prototype and deploy titanium components for a wide range of centrifugal pump applications in US Navy platforms.”
The US Navy’s, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) has developed additive manufacturing processes for over 500 approved parts used in US ships and submarines. The Governor of Virginia and the US Navy are accelerating efforts to scale additive manufacturing, having recently opened the ‘Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence’ in Danville, Virginia, located just 25 miles from the site of IperionX’s new Titanium Demonstration Facility in South Boston, Virginia.
IperionX is currently producing high quality titanium metal powders from 100% recycled titanium feedstocks for customer qualification at its titanium production pilot facility in Utah. This titanium production facility has achieved processing yields approaching 100% from low-grade scrap without the need for blending with high-grade primary titanium metal.
