IperionX and Carver Pump will print titanium pump components for the US Navy

IperionX, a manufacturer of low-emission titanium for the aerospace, aerospace and automotive industries, has partnered with Carver Pump, an American manufacturer of high-performance pumps, under which the companies will manufacture titanium pump components for the US Navy using 3D printers. Carver will design their components, while IperionX will produce prototypes and qualify the printed components. Carver manufactures high-performance centrifugal pumps that have been used in every major US Navy shipbuilding program for the last 60 years. They are valued for their exceptional corrosion resistance and are used in a wide range of marine applications.

The US does not have the domestic capacity to produce the large titanium castings required for high-efficiency centrifugal pumps, resulting in long production times. The pump components are ordered from abroad and an expensive and high-carbon titanium alloy is used to manufacture them. IperionX produces much cheaper and low carbon titanium powders in the USA. They can be used in 3D printing technology, providing the US Navy with much shorter lead times and increasing the availability of components. Additionally, IperionX titanium is more sustainable compared to market alternatives.

The United States Naval Marine Systems Command (NAVSEA) has developed additive manufacturing processes for more than 500 approved parts used in U.S. ships and submarines. The Governor of Virginia and the US Navy have opened an “Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence” in Danville, just 40 km from the new IperionX facility.

Carver has supplied high performance centrifugal pumps to the US Navy since World War II. They are installed in all of the Navy’s current shipbuilding programs, including Ford Carrier, Zumwalt Destroyers, Aegis Destroyers, Littoral Combat Ships, America Big Deck Amphibious Assault Ships, San Antonio Amphibious Transport Docks, and Virginia Submarines.

High performance titanium pump components are most commonly manufactured by casting titanium – an expensive manufacturing method that can pose serious problems due to its high melting point (1670°C) and high reactivity with oxygen. Therefore, to avoid undesirable reactivity, specialized vacuum melting of titanium is required – and then pouring it into specially designed ceramic molds.

The US no longer has the domestic capacity to produce large, high-performance titanium castings – and key foreign suppliers are based in China, Russia, the UK and Norway. China and Russia are the only countries with fully integrated production of primary titanium metal and strong titanium casting capabilities, which puts them in a superior competitive position. The UK and Norway are fully dependent on imports of their primary titanium alloy from overseas sources, which use an expensive and carbon-intensive production process. Thus, the global supply chain is highly concentrated and dominated by China and Russia, which currently control over 70% of global production capacity. Given the lack of domestic titanium production capacity, the United States no longer holds titanium in its national defense inventory, and downstream manufacturers, including manufacturers of applications such as ingots, billets, sheets, coils, and tubes, are almost entirely dependent on foreign suppliers.

Patented IperionX technologies offer a path to lower-cost, low-carbon, US-made titanium components in a wide range of important industries, including defense, aerospace, automotive and consumer electronics. The company can process low-grade, high-oxygen, and off-spec titanium scrap to produce titanium metal that meets or exceeds industry standards.

IperionX is currently producing high-quality titanium metal powders from 100% recycled titanium raw materials for customer qualification at its pilot titanium production facility in Utah, USA. The titanium production facility has achieved a conversion efficiency close to 100% from low-grade scrap without the need for blending with high-grade virgin metallic titanium.

IperionX has partnered with the U.S. Navy to detail the company’s plans for sustainable re-supply of the U.S. titanium supply chain, which aims to shorten lead times for critical titanium components, reduce costs, and reduce carbon emissions.

Interviews included US Navy NAVSEA senior management, including the Office of the Chief Engineer for Ship Design, Integration and Engineering. IperionX has also been in talks with the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency’s Strategic Materials Agency regarding the possibility of recycling the titanium scrap inventory for use throughout the Defense Industrial Base. In addition, IperionX is working with the Naval Air Systems Command to produce 3D printed titanium components for Navy aircraft.

The US Navy’s NAVSEA has publicly stated goals for developing technical standards for additively manufactured components to enhance operational readiness. They are designed to produce obsolete and long-term components, as well as to enhance defense capabilities by producing unique designs that would not otherwise be produced. Importantly, the current lead time for large, specialized titanium castings is around 1-2 years, compared to only 1-3 months for production from titanium powders by 3D printing. Patented IperionX technologies allow the recycling of worn titanium components into high-quality metallic titanium, which can then be fabricated into new critical titanium parts in no time.

Source: www.businesswire.com
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