IperionX Gets $11.5M Army Order for U.S.-Made Titanium Fasteners

IperionX, a Virginia-based metal additive manufacturing company, has landed a second US Army task order worth $11.5 million initially, with the potential to grow to $25.4 million. The award is part of a larger SBIR Phase III program capped at $99 million and focuses specifically on low-cost titanium fasteners for military platforms.

Fasteners are not the flashiest category in 3D printing. They do not get keynote demos or press kits. But the US military depends on titanium bolts, screws, and fixings across helicopters, tanks, submarines, and aircraft. Most of that supply has moved overseas over decades. The Army is now paying to bring it back.

Why fasteners

The Berry Amendment requires defense procurement to favor US-made materials when possible, but compliance gaps exist at the component level. Titanium fasteners are small, high-volume, and surprisingly expensive to source domestically at scale. IperionX uses a recycled titanium powder process that the company says cuts material cost substantially compared to virgin powder production.

The $11.5 million task order, identified as W911QX26FA097, targets fastener production specifically. Earlier in 2026, IperionX also received a $6.6 million order from the Office of the Secretary of War Submarine Workforce and Industrial Base program for titanium plate. Those two awards, plus a $50 million capital raise in July, make the second half of 2026 the busiest period in the company's history.

A broader military 3D printing push

The US military is spreading money across the domestic metal AM sector. 6K Additives received $1.9 million from the Defense Logistics Agency and a further $23.4 million under the Defense Production Act Title III. Continuum secured $1.1 million from NAWC Aircraft Division and a matching amount from Army Materiel Command.

The pattern is consistent: the Department of Defense wants a redundant, onshore supply chain for critical metals and is using SBIR and DPA funding to seed it. Titanium fasteners are an ideal first target because they are small enough to ship easily, expensive enough to justify local production, and worn enough in service that a circular economy around recycled powder makes economic sense.

What to watch

IperionX has not disclosed exact production volumes or which military platforms will receive the fasteners first. The company operates a facility in South Boston, Virginia, and has been expanding its powder recycling capacity. If the full $25.4 million is drawn down, it would represent a significant step toward meaningful domestic fastener production at scale.