SOUTH BOSTON, Va., April 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IperionX Limited (Nasdaq | ASX: IPX) is pleased to present its quarterly report for the period ended March 31, 2026. Highlights during and subsequent to the end of the quarter include:
Operations – Titanium powder production
- Virginia operations transitioned to a 24/7 production schedule during the quarter, marking the move from commissioning into continuous operations
- All HAMR™ powder production systems have been commissioned and are now in ramp-up, with IperionX targeting run-rate production of ~200 tpa of titanium powder by end-CY2026
- HAMR™ powder production increased during the quarter, reaching ~4.2 metric tons in March, equivalent to approximately 50 tpa annualized. This represents the early-stage ramp rate, and throughput is expected to build as product mix shifts toward higher-volume angular powders and powder-to-part manufacturing
- Development of GenX™, IperionX's next-generation continuous HAMR™ platform, advanced during the quarter. GenX™ is designed to deliver a step-change in capital efficiency, operating cost and throughput relative to current batch processing system
Operations – Titanium product manufacturing
- Powder metallurgy scale-up continued during the quarter, including optimization of the 100-ton uniaxial press, commissioning of the cold isostatic press for larger-format titanium components, and transition toward 24/7 operations for defense-related titanium fastener production
- Advanced six-axis 300-ton SACMI powder metallurgy press was installed during the quarter. The press delivers higher compaction force, multi-axis movement, greater complexity of part geometry, improved repeatability, and the ability to support higher-rate production. Commissioning is planned for the June quarter for customer engagements requiring more complex or higher-volume titanium press-sinter-forge components
- Additional HSPT™ sintering furnaces are scheduled for commissioning in the June quarter. These additions are expected to remove sintering as a current production bottleneck and accelerate customer qualification timelines
- Additive manufacturing capability expanded during the quarter, including the operation and retrofit of additional binder jet systems
Customers
- IperionX continues to execute a tiered go-to-market strategy that initially prioritizes higher-value engineered products, where the competitive advantages are strongest, including higher material yields, faster design iteration, rapid prototyping and the potential to significantly lower customer costs
- Production activity during the quarter focused primarily on prototype production, product development, qualification testing and low-rate initial production across defense, automotive, consumer electronics and industrial applications, consistent with the staged commercialization pathway for advanced titanium components
- IperionX's near-term commercial focus remains on higher-value titanium metal components, while retaining the flexibility to sell titanium powders directly where customer demand supports attractive commercial outcomes
- Qualification and test work for spherical titanium powders for additive manufacturing in the consumer electronics sector accelerated in the quarter. This market represents a significant potential opportunity for both spherical titanium powder sales and titanium products manufactured by IperionX
- Customer engagement materially increased across aerospace and defense markets, supported by heightened focus on titanium supply-chain resilience, U.S. onshoring of advanced component manufacturing and reduced reliance on imported primary titanium metal
- IperionX also expects to broaden its participation in high-volume titanium markets where customer engagement is strong and domestic U.S. supply is strategically important, including titanium mill products
- Customer receipts are currently at the early inflection point of the commercial adoption curve, consistent with the focus on prototype work, qualification batches, customer testing and low-rate initial production. As qualification milestones are achieved, purchase-order schedules become more defined and additional powder metallurgy and HSPT™ capacity is commissioned, IperionX expects customer receipts to build, subject to program timing and delivery schedules
U.S. Department of War (DoW) programs
- The U.S. Government-supported 1,400 tpa titanium expansion program continued to progress, including the full obligation of the US$47.1 million Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) award to build a fully integrated, domestic titanium "mineral-to-metal" supply chain
- Strong U.S. Government support continues, including:
- ~290 metric tons of titanium scrap transferred to IperionX at no cost (equivalent to ~1.5 years of titanium feedstock)
- SBIR Phase III IDIQ contract (up to US$99 million), with additional task orders progressing
Titan Critical Minerals Development
- The U.S. Government-supported Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for the Titan Critical Minerals Project continued to advance and remains targeted for completion in mid-2026.
- Titan remains a strategically important, fully permitted U.S. project with leverage to titanium, rare earths and zircon critical minerals, including the heavy rare earths dysprosium (Dy), terbium (Tb), and yttrium (Y)
- IperionX is engaged with the U.S. Government regarding potential funding pathways to accelerate the Titan development following completion of the DFS
Cash balance
- IperionX ended the quarter with US$48.2 million in cash. The quarter included approximately US$4.8 million of Q3 timing and non-run-rate cash items, alongside continued investment in Virginia production ramp, product development and GenX™ R&D
- In addition to quarter-end cash, IperionX had US$42.1 million of remaining obligated reimbursable U.S. Government funding at March 31, 2026, including US$3.5 million of eligible U.S. Government program expenditure already incurred but not yet reimbursed. These amounts are not included in the cash balance and remain subject to normal reimbursement claim review and approval processes
- Based on current operating plans, planned capital expenditure and expected U.S. Government reimbursement timing, IperionX expects to end FY2026 with cash in the range of US$36 million to US$40 million
MANAGEMENT COMMENTARY
From commissioning to continuous operations — building a domestic U.S. titanium supply chain at industrial scale
The March 2026 quarter marked an important transition for IperionX: from commissioning into continuous operations, and from technology development toward repeatable commercial execution.
After more than a decade of development, pilot operations, customer validation and U.S. Government-supported scale-up, IperionX is now operating at industrial scale in Virginia. Our proprietary HAMR™ and HSPT™ technologies are operational, producing high-quality titanium from 100% recycled feedstock and enabling a materially more efficient pathway to titanium powders and titanium products than legacy Kroll-based supply chains.
This transition is the result of sustained technical execution: over 10 years of R&D, multi-year pilot operations, construction and commissioning of the Virginia Titanium Manufacturing Campus, and more than US$75 million of U.S. Government support across titanium technology development, domestic manufacturing scale-up and critical minerals programs. IperionX is now positioned at the intersection of two major national priorities: reshoring titanium manufacturing and rebuilding secure U.S. critical-materials supply chains for defense, aerospace and advanced industry.
The strategic context has never been more important. Titanium is essential to defense, aerospace, automotive, consumer electronics, additive manufacturing and advanced industrial applications, yet existing supply chains remain highly exposed to imported primary metal, energy-intensive legacy processes and offshore manufacturing capacity. IperionX is building a domestic alternative: a U.S.-based, scrap-to-part titanium platform using recycled and domestic feedstocks, proprietary powder production, advanced sintering and forging technologies, and scalable American manufacturing capacity.
At our Virginia Titanium Manufacturing Campus, operations are now running on a 24/7 schedule and continuing to ramp. In March, HAMR™ powder production reached approximately 4.2 metric tons for the month, equivalent to approximately 50 tpa annualized. This remains an early-stage ramp rate, not steady-state capacity, but it provides a strong operating base as we progress toward targeted titanium powder capacity of approximately 200 tpa by the end of CY2026. Our immediate operating priorities are clear: increase titanium throughput, broaden product mix, improve production consistency and commission additional downstream capacity for customers.
That downstream manufacturing capacity is key. Additional HSPT™ sintering furnaces, powder metallurgy presses and related equipment are being installed and commissioned through 2026. These systems are expected to unlock higher-volume titanium "powder-to-part" manufacturing, where IperionX expects the greatest customer value and margin potential to exist. They are also expected to remove current bottlenecks in finished-component production, accelerate customer qualification timelines and support the transition from prototype work and low-rate production toward larger, longer-duration supply programs.
Customer engagement is advancing in parallel with the operational ramp. Our go-to-market strategy is initially focused on high-value engineered products, where our advantages in material yield, rapid prototype iteration, reduced processing steps and potential cost reduction are most pronounced. This has driven active programs across defense, aerospace, automotive, consumer electronics and industrial markets, with several programs progressing from technical engagement and prototyping toward qualification and low-rate production.
We recognize that commercialization in these markets is a staged process. Qualification, customer testing, product iteration and production readiness must occur before larger contractual supply arrangements are established. As production capacity expands and additional HSPT™ furnaces and powder metallurgy systems come online, we expect to materially improve the pace at which customer programs can progress from initial engagement and prototype iteration through qualification, low-rate production and potential long-term supply arrangements across engineered products, mill products and titanium powders.
U.S. Government support remains both a strategic validation and a financial advantage. IperionX has secured a significant titanium scrap inventory, including approximately 290 metric tons transferred by the U.S. Government at no cost, supporting feedstock security through scale-up. The Company is also supported by fully obligated US$47.1 million IBAS funding, the earlier US$12.7 million DPA Title III award, and an SBIR Phase III contracting pathway of up to US$99 million through project-specific task orders. These programs reflect the strategic importance of establishing a resilient, low-cost domestic titanium manufacturing capability for the U.S. defense industrial base.
Our scale-up pathway remains well defined. We are targeting approximately 200 tpa of titanium powder capacity by the end of CY2026, progressing a U.S. Government-supported expansion pathway toward 1,400 tpa in 2027, and continuing to advance longer-term plans for substantially larger titanium manufacturing capacity. In parallel, GenX™, our next-generation continuous HAMR™ platform, is progressing as a potential step-change in titanium powder production, with the objective of increasing throughput, improving capital efficiency and further reducing operating costs.
The Titan Critical Minerals Project is IperionX's second strategic pillar. With a U.S. DoW-supported DFS nearing completion, Titan represents a potential domestic source of titanium minerals, zircon and critical rare earths, including dysprosium, terbium and yttrium — materials for which the United States has limited domestic supply. Subject to completion of the DFS, funding and development decisions, Titan has the potential to complement IperionX's titanium metal platform and contribute to U.S. critical mineral independence.
IperionX is moving from technology to production, and from production toward scale. The opportunity is significant, and the next steps are clear: ramp Virginia production, commission downstream capacity, convert customer programs into revenue, progress the 1,400 tpa expansion, complete the Titan DFS and continue building a fully domestic U.S. titanium and critical-materials platform.
Disciplined execution remains the priority.
Anastasios Arima
CEO and Managing Director
A link to the full release can be found here.
Contacts
Anastasios (Taso) Arima, Founder and CEO
Toby Symonds, President
Dominic Allen, Chief Commercial Officer
Investors: investorrelations@iperionx.com
Media: media@iperionx.com
+1 980 237 8900
www.iperionx.com
