Air Force awards SBIR grant to Fortius Metals
LAFAYETTE — The U.S. Air Force has awarded Lafayette-based additive manufacturer Fortius Metals Inc. an AFWERX Direct-to-Phase II SBIR contract in the amount of $1.25 million, which qualifies Fortius IN625-RAM2 wire alloy for large-scale additive manufacturing of components for hypersonic applications.
Nickel superalloys are used in high-performance defense applications. Fortius Metals’ Reactive Additive Manufacturing technology improves alloy grain structure to double IN625 yield strength at room temperature and increases yield strength up to 50% at 800 Celsius (1472 F), without sacrificing ductility or toughness, the company said in a press statement. Hypersonic applications are demanding on materials where next-generation alloys are needed to solve engineering designs. Fortius will print large format hypersonic prototypes using its advanced wire alloys and wire Directed Energy Deposition robotic welding cells.
“IN625-RAM2 has already been commercialized in metal powder by Fortius Metals’ sister company, Elementum 3D, used with Laser Powder Bed Fusion additive manufacturing. Fortius is developing wire alloy manufacturing at scale and has active commercial contracts to advance capabilities,” the company said.
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Jeff Lints, Fortius founder and CEO, spoke about the impact of the project to commercialize advanced materials for use in additive manufacturing for defense applications. “AFWERX’s push to advance AM materials is critical to meet the rapid and evolving defense environment. It stimulates confidence in high-strength nickel superalloys and helps prove out challenging hypersonic applications. The foundational effort to qualify IN625-RAM2 for production will also benefit dual-use capabilities for industrial tooling and space propulsion.”
The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX work together to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer process by accelerating the award timeline, by expanding opportunities for small business and by eliminating bureaucratic overhead.