MPW Accelerates DirectPowder Capacity Expansion to 800 Tons, Secures First Press & Sinter Production Order
Australian-listed metal powder company Metal Powder Works (ASX:MPW) released an ASX announcement on August 11, bringing forward its 800-ton annual capacity target from 2028 to the first half of 2027. Total capital expenditure is approximately US$2 million (H2 2026 + H1 2027), fully funded from existing cash reserves.
Key catalysts: the company has secured its first production order in the Press & Sinter market (customer: Advantage), copper powder supply chains are disrupted by tariffs and trade interruptions, and DirectPowder™ technology offers a localized alternative. DirectPowder™ is a patented non-thermal process (room-temperature bar-to-powder) claiming a 95%+ sellable yield, with customer qualification in just 3–6 weeks (versus the industry standard of 6–12 months). Modular deployment costs approximately US$250,000 per 100-ton unit.
Current customer trial demand stands at approximately 1,500 tons per year, already exceeding the planned 800-ton capacity. MPW's production facility is located at Neighborhood 91 in Pittsburgh. Founder John Barnes states the company is at an "inflection point" — NextGen equipment is ready for scale-up and the sales team has been reorganized to capitalize on the supply chain restructuring window in the P&S market.
2026-08-11
3D Systems Secures Additional $9M U.S. Air Force Contract, Bringing Large-Format Metal AM Validation Program to $27.4M with 2-Year Extension
On August 10, 2026, 3D Systems announced an additional $9 million contract award from the U.S. Air Force to continue its GEN-II DMP-1000 large-format metal additive manufacturing advanced technology validation program. Launched in 2023 with an initial contract of approximately $10.76 million, the program has been expanded multiple times to a total value of $27.4 million, with a 2-year extension. R&D is being conducted simultaneously at facilities in San Diego, California, and Rock Hill, South Carolina, with the goal of developing a large-format metal 3D printing system capable of meeting the high-temperature, high-speed, and flight-critical component requirements of aerospace applications.
The Air Force's continued funding increases and program extension signal that early technical achievements have met or exceeded expected milestones—typically, such validation programs are terminated after the initial phase if interim targets are not met. The combination of an extended timeline and additional budget is a strong indicator that the technology's maturity has been recognized.
The GEN-II represents a leap in LPBF (Laser Powder Bed Fusion) from small- to medium-format systems (250–400 mm build volumes) to ultra-large formats (1000 mm+), redefining the "printable boundary" for aerospace structural components. This shift also introduces new demands on the powder supply chain—large-format printing requires significantly tighter control over powder batch consistency, flowability, and oxygen content compared to smaller systems.
Value to powder buyers: ① Ultra-large-format LPBF systems like the GEN-II can consume hundreds of kilograms of powder per single print run; once deployed in procurement, each machine could drive annual powder consumption of tens to hundreds of tons ② Demand for aerospace-grade titanium alloys (Ti64/Grade 23) and nickel-based superalloys (IN718/IN625) is expected to grow significantly ③ Large-format printing demands extremely high powder batch consistency and supply chain traceability, giving certified aerospace powder suppliers a first-mover advantage.
2026-08-10
Xi'an aerospace and Xi'an Jiaotong University jointly achieve high-quality EBSM forming of "unweldable" nickel-based superalloys DZ125/DD6
On August 10, 2026, Xi'an Aerospace Intelligent Manufacturing (a national-level "Little Giant" specialized and innovative enterprise) teamed up with Professor Chen Kai's team at Xi'an Jiaotong University to successfully achieve high-quality, stable forming of DZ125 and DD6 nickel-based superalloys—both highly crack-sensitive materials—using their self-developed M100 electron beam selective melting (EBSM) equipment. The core technology lies in a synergistic control pathway of "high-temperature preheating, melt pool morphology regulation, and scanning strategy matching": a discrete, fixed-point melting scanning approach replaces conventional continuous line scanning, allowing precise control of electron beam melt pool energy.
Validation through CT non-destructive testing, metallographic observation, and EBSD grain structure analysis confirmed that the specimens are free of internal cracks, porosity, lack-of-fusion, and other metallurgical defects, with the ability to achieve directed columnar or equiaxed grain growth as required. DZ125 and DD6 are critical materials for hot-section components such as aircraft engine turbine blades and are widely recognized in the industry as "unweldable" nickel-based superalloys. Traditional precision casting relies on mold cores and suffers from low yield rates, while laser additive manufacturing faces large temperature gradients and difficult-to-control thermal cracking.
This breakthrough provides a new domestic solution for manufacturing integrated aviation hot-section components with thin walls, hollow structures, and multiple cooling channels. The transition from "unweldable" to "high-quality forming" signals that additive manufacturing is challenging the irreplaceable position of traditional casting in the core hot-section components of aircraft engines.
Value for powder buyers: ① DZ125/DD6 powders are high-value-added, aviation-grade superalloy powders; while current annual domestic demand is limited (hundreds of tons), unit prices far exceed those of conventional nickel-based powders. ② The EBSM breakthrough opens new possibilities for powder metallurgy routes to replace precision casting; if scaled to engineering application, it will drive demand for directionally solidified/single-crystal superalloy powders like DZ125/DD6. ③ These specialty powders require extremely high sphericity and purity during production (via PREP or EIGA), and only a few manufacturers have the capability, making this a high-barrier niche market.
2026-08-10
