IperionX ambitions to build a new Titanium Demonstration Facility (TDF) with an initial target capacity of -125 tonnes per annum by the end of 2022.
US-based company IperionX ambitions to lead the American titanium market, from raw materials to manufacturing. To do so, the company currently builds up expertise in critical material extraction, processing, and recycling to create a first-of-its-kind closed-loop, low-to-zero carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive green economy.
It scales Titanium metal powder production at it Utah-based facility with 100% recycled titanium metal as feedstock processed by its proprietary and patented metal technologies.
“As a result of the successful scaling of the Titanium Pilot Facility – and the strong interest we are seeing from potential customers for our 100% recycled, lower cost and low carbon powders – we are now progressing the development of a larger scale facility. This comes at a time when there is an increased strategic focus on the need for wrestling control of the titanium supply chain from China and Russia and bring it back to the U.S. We intend to help re-build a U.S. supply chain using a closed loop, low carbon and lower cost solution… from scrap to powder to parts, for a sustainable titanium supply chain”, Anastasios (Taso) Arima, IperionX’s Managing Director and CEO said.
100% Recycled Titanium Pilot Facility Scale-Up
Titanium metal powder operations are rapidly scaling following investment and process efficiency improvements, which included improvements to handling processes related to scrap titanium metal, sintered spherical metal powders and deoxygenated metal powders. The current run rate capacity of the pilot facility is ~1.5 tonnes per annum.
Additional process improvements will be commissioned in the coming weeks and are expected to lift the Titanium Pilot Facility run rate capacity to ~6.5 tonnes per annum by the end of Q2 2022. The Titanium Pilot Facility is currently limited by the operational run rate of the current installed low temperature furnace, which undertakes IperionX’s proprietary HAMR deoxygenation process. Actual production volumes may vary based on customer orders.
100% Recycled Titanium Demonstration Facility (TDF) Scale-Up
IperionX plans to build a larger TDF with an initial designed potential output capacity of ~125 tonnes per annum by the end of 2022. This facility will utilize low cost 100% titanium metal scrap as the feedstock for low carbon production of titanium metal powders. The primary driver of increased capacity is the acquisition of a larger off-the-shelf low temperature furnace that will undertake the proprietary HAMR process. This capacity can be lifted by increasing the size or number of low temperature furnaces in a staged, modular expansion approach.
The TDF will be a test bed for automation and process improvements to optimize operations prior to scaling to the Titanium Commercial Facility. Additionally, the TDF will be used for the development of other metal technologies being advanced by IperionX which include low carbon REE metal deoxygenation, hydrogen sintering, low carbon synthetic rutile and improved mineral-to-metal reduction processes.
These new goals will benefit a wide range of potential customers across many advanced technology industries, including automotive, consumer electronics, consumer luxury goods, defense and additive manufacturing (3D printing), with significant interest for the potential long-term supply of titanium metal powders.
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