IperionX Gets $11.5M Army Boost to Build 3D Printed Titanium Fasteners

IperionX has been awarded an $11.5 million task order from the U.S. Army to scale domestic production of titanium fasteners using its additive manufacturing process. The award, Task Order W911QX26FA097, is part of a broader $99 million SBIR Phase III program focused on low-cost titanium powder for military use.

Why fasteners matter

Fasteners are not glamorous parts. They are bolts, track pins, hinges and brackets that hold military helicopters, tanks and submarines together. But that is exactly why they have drawn fresh attention from the Pentagon. Much of the U.S. fastener supply chain migrated overseas over decades, and the military now wants reliable domestic sources for the small, high-volume parts that keep equipment running.

IperionX will focus on track pins for tank treads, bots and similar fasteners. Testing is planned at Detroit Arsenal and the Army Research Laboratory's Aberdeen Proving Ground. The company intends to bring fastener finishing fully in-house at its Virginia manufacturing facility, shortening lead times by going from scrap to finished part in one location.

The award builds on an active summer for IperionX. The company raised $50 million in equity in July and secured a separate $6.6 million order for titanium plate through the Office of the Secretary of War Submarine Workforce and Industrial Base program. IperionX is not the only metals company receiving defense attention. 6K Additive received $1.9 million from the Defense Logistics Agency and $23.4 million under a Defense Production Act Title III award. Continuum Powders received $1.1 million each from the NAWC Aircraft Division and the Army Materiel Command.

The powder-to-part angle

IperionX uses a hydrogen-assisted plasma torch process to convert titanium scrap into powder and then form it into parts. That closed loop from scrap to finished fastener is the core of the company's pitch to the military. Domestic scrap streams become domestic parts, with fewer imported dependencies in between.

CEO Taso Arima described the award as a step toward an integrated American titanium manufacturing system. The award aligns with GenX, IperionX's next-generation continuous production platform, which the company says will expand capacity for track pins, bolts and fasteners while strengthening supply chain resilience.

The refractory side bet

Alongside fasteners, IperionX is exploring niobium and refractory metal powders. C103 niobium alloy is used in hypersonics and missile applications, and IperionX is pursuing it with Global Advanced Metals. The challenge is sourcing clean scrap. Decommissioned weapons systems like the Minuteman III ICBM or Space Shuttle hardware could supply material, but accessing those streams involves both technical and political complexity. Reports suggest the military generates less than 100 tonnes of refractory scrap per year, a tiny number compared to the 70,000 tonnes of steel and iron the DLA moves annually.

Even so, the fastener program is the more interesting bet. High-value exotic materials attract venture capital, but reliably making millions of fasteners a year for the military is a very defensible business. Defense procurement values supply chain security, and if IperionX can deliver consistent quality at scale from its Virginia facility, it will have earned a position that is hard for competitors to displace.