Metal Powder Works secures zirconium powder orders from US nuclear and defence customers
Metal Powder Works Limited (MPW), headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, has received three separate purchase orders for its Zircaloy-4 (Zr-4) zirconium powder from US nuclear and defence organisations. All three customers have previously purchased other powders from MPW, but these are their first orders for Zr-4, extending their use of the company’s DirectPowder materials to a new alloy system.
“The United States has committed to rebuilding its nuclear industry, and that means rebuilding the materials supply chain behind it,” stated John Barnes, MPW Managing Director. “Next-generation reactors and advanced manufacturing need zirconium alloy powders with tightly controlled chemistry, made in the US. That is what our DirectPowder process delivers, with powder yields above 95%.”
The larger of the three orders is from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the US Department of Energy’s largest science and energy laboratory. ORNL is involved in the development and qualification of nuclear materials, and MPW sees the supply of Zr-4 powder for evaluation as an opportunity to establish a position within the US nuclear materials supply chain.
“Oak Ridge is where the next generation of US nuclear technology is developed and proven – it was ORNL that put the first 3D-printed components into an operating US reactor,” he continued. “MPW has been developing zirconium alloy powders with the nuclear industry for several years, and these orders put our material in the hands of the laboratory leading that work. That is where new materials earn their place in the nuclear supply chain, and it is where MPW intends to be.”
The other customers were listed as the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and an unnamed US defence industry company. The orders are reported to be for evaluation and qualification purposes, with the ORNL order valued at $60,000 and the ARL and defence industry orders totalling a further $54,000. Delivery is expected in the first quarter of 2027.
Zr-4 is a zirconium alloy widely used in the nuclear industry for fuel cladding and reactor components, as well as in defence applications. The latest orders expand its Zr-4 customer base to include organisations involved in the development and testing of materials for future nuclear and defence programmes.
Barnes concluded, “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.”
