Fortius Metals Awarded $1.25M AFWERX Direct-to-Phase II Contract

Fortius to qualify IN625-RAM2 for hypersonic defense applications

DENVER - March 21, 2024 - PRLog -- Fortius Metals, Inc. (Fortius) announces it has been awarded an AFWERX Direct-to-Phase II SBIR contract in the amount of $1.25M focused on qualifying Fortius Metals IN625-RAM2 wire alloy for large scale additive manufacturing of components for hypersonic applications. Fortius is proud to help address the most pressing challenges in the Department of the Air Force (DAF).

Nickel superalloys have been important for high performance defense applications. Fortius Metals' Reactive Additive Manufacturing (RAM) technology improves alloy grain structure to double IN625 yield strength at room temperature, and increase yield strength up to 50% at 800C, without sacrificing ductility or toughness. Hypersonic applications are extremely demanding on materials where next generation alloys are needed to solve tomorrow's engineering designs, today. Fortius will print large format hypersonic prototypes using our advanced IN625-RAM2 and wire Directed Energy Deposition (wire DED) 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 AM. Material properties have been established for L-PBF and similar results are expected with wire DED. Fortius is developing wire alloy manufacturing at scale and has active commercial contracts to advance their capabilities.

Jeff Lints, Fortius founder and CEO, emphasized the impact of the project to commercialize advanced materials for use in additive manufacturing (AM) for defense applications, stating, "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 have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution. The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018 which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded and on February 14, 2024, Fortius Metals started its journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America.

"The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government."

About Fortius Metals
Fortius Metals is a large format additive manufacturing company specializing in new materials. These patented, groundbreaking metal alloys will enable stronger, lighter fabrication for customers' products ranging from rockets to electric vehicles. Fortius, headquartered near Boulder, Colorado, was formed in 2021 to commercialize wire-based products for use in robotic welding applications – with enhanced material properties such as 2x strength, improved corrosion resistance, and higher thermal conductivity.  Fortius in-house capabilities include wire manufacturing as well as wire arc and wire laser (wire DED) large format 3D printing cells.
www.fortiusmetals.com

About AFRL
The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 12,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit afresearchlab.com

About AFWERX
As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 325 military, civilian and contractor personnel at six hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has executed 4,697 new contracts worth more than $2.6 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: afwerx.com