IperionX completes commercial-scale titanium HAMR furnace installation
April 29, 2024
IperionX Limited, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, has announced that the Hydrogen Assisted Metallothermic Reduction (HAMR) titanium furnace has been successfully installed and delivered to the Titanium Manufacturing Campus in Virginia, USA. The first energisation and commissioning are on track to commence in Q2 2024.
The advanced HAMR furnace is similar in scale to a traditional single-unit Kroll titanium furnace, and is reported to enhance IperionX’s manufacturing capabilities with numerous competitive advantages. These include lower operating temperatures, increased efficiencies, shorter production cycles, and higher product qualities.
These manufacturing advancements are supported by IperionX’s portfolio of patented technologies that can produce titanium powders, semi-finished titanium products, near-net shape forged titanium products, and additively manufactured titanium components. These technologies can reportedly manufacture high-performance titanium products with superior energy efficiency, lower costs, and lower environmental impacts.
The full development of IperionX’s Titanium Manufacturing Campus is reportedly advancing to plan, with first deoxygenation production of titanium powder scheduled to commence in mid-2024. Full run rate target capacity of at least 125 metric tons per year is anticipated for the end of 2024, which is expected to scale-up to full target production capacity of 2,000 metric tons per year in 2026.
“The deployment of our advanced HAMR titanium furnace at the Virginia facility is another crucial step to re-shore a full ‘end to end’ titanium supply chain within the United States,” Anastasios (Taso) Arima, IperionX CEO. “This furnace has a similar capacity to existing furnaces used in the incumbent industry’s Kroll process, but with far less energy consumption and lower complexity to unlock a range of higher value manufactured titanium products. The successful commissioning and production from this furnace is the cornerstone for a transformation of the US titanium industry to manufacture high-performance, low cost titanium alloys for advanced American industries.”
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