- 01MPW secured $162k in Zr-4 orders from Oak Ridge, US Army Research Lab and a defence customer.
- 02Delivery is expected before March 2027; further orders are not assured.
Specialty materials company Metal Powder Works (ASX: MPW) has received $162,000 in new purchase orders for Zircaloy-4 (Zr-4) from three leading US nuclear and defence organisations.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, the US Army Research Laboratory in Maryland, and an undisclosed defence industry customer have previously purchased other powders from the company.
Metal Powder Works believes the latest repeat orders across a new alloy system reflect growing confidence in the DirectPowder range of materials.
The company considers the $85,000 Oak Ridge order to be the most material of three, given the organisation’s strategic significance as the nation’s largest science and energy laboratory and a leading centre for the development and qualification of nuclear materials.
Delivery of all orders is expected before March 2027 and Metal Powder Works confirmed there was no guarantee that they would lead to further orders.
Growing Defence Presence
Managing director John Barnes said the new orders demonstrated the company had a growing presence in strategic nuclear and defence materials.
“We have been developing zirconium alloy powders with the nuclear industry for several years and these three new orders put our material in the hands of the laboratories leading that work,” he said.
“The US has committed to rebuilding its nuclear industry and that means rebuilding the materials supply chain behind it.”
“Next-generation reactors and advanced manufacturing need zirconium alloy powders with tightly controlled chemistry and that is what our DirectPowder process delivers, with powder yields above 95%.”
Specialised Zirconium Alloy
Zircaloy-4 is a specialised alloy composed of zirconium with small additions of tin, iron, and chromium and is believed to offer superior corrosion resistance and strength in high-temperature environments.
It is primarily used in the nuclear industry due to its low neutron absorption and is also suitable for manufacturing fuel cladding and other components that require high durability and stability.
Metal Powder Works claims Zr-4 demonstrates “exceptional performance under extreme conditions”, making it a key material in applications such as reactors and nuclear fuel systems.
“Together with the Army Research Laboratory and a defence industry customer, these orders show MPW building a position in strategic nuclear and defence materials that we expect to grow as we scale capacity,” Mr Barnes added.
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