About us

IPX undertaking commercialization on behalf of Blacksand. Blacksand Technology LLC and Heavystone Laboratory LLC are two separate spun-off companies from the University of Utah. Blacksand’s mission is to scale up and commercialize titanium technologies developed in partner with the team at the University of Utah guided by Professor Z. Zak Fang. In 2024, Blacksand successfully commercialized its entire portfolio of patented technologies, which spans from mineral processing to powder production and to final Ti alloy products, through its agreement with IperionX,LLC. whonow control the technologies and areengaged intheirfull commercializationof the technologiesto reshore the Ti supply chain to the US. Blacksand continues to pursue technological opportunities in the production of reactive metals, rare earth metals, and other metallurgical opportunities.

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Our Technologies

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Iron & Steel Technologies

Hydrogen Reduction Melt-less Steelmaking (HRMLES) is a direct reduction and alloying process that produces steel products by circumventing traditional iron and steelmaking methods.

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Tungsten Carbide

Functionally graded cemented tungsten carbide technology offers a method for converting conventional cemented tungsten carbide with gradient properties from the surface to the core.

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Titanium Technologies

The technologies encompass the production of Ti primary metal from ore, angular and spherical Ti alloy powders with oxygen content less than 1500 ppm or 1000 ppm depending on the specifications. Furthermore,

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Melt-less Steelmaking

HRMLES enables direct reduction and alloying of ore concentrates to produce steel while eliminating high-energy steps used in conventional steelmaking.

Funded by ARPA-E in partnership with NETL and the University of Utah, this process significantly reduces energy consumption and operating temperatures.

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Blacksand Technology LLC

Blacksand Technology successfully commercialized its titanium technology portfolio through an agreement with IperionX LLC.

Today, Blacksand continues to explore new opportunities in reactive metals, rare earth metals, and advanced metallurgical processes.

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Our Services

Additive Manufacturing

Sintering-based additive manufacturing:

  • Binder-jet printing – Innovent
  • Lithography metal printing (LMP) – Incus machine

Fusion-based AM:

  • Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) – SLM 125
  • Direct energy deposition (DED) – InsTek machine

Testing and Characterization, Processing

Materials testing and characterizations:

  • Optical microscopy, SEM, TEM, XPS, XRD, TGA/DSL, BET, Laser PSD, Pycnometer, ICP, Vickers hardness, micro-hardness, Rockwell Hardness, MTS tensile and fatigue.

Processing:

  • High energy ball milling: rolling ball mill, attritor mill, planetary ball milling, Spex mill, tumbling mixer, V-blender,
  • Sintering: atmosphere-controlled tube furnaces, vacuum furnaces, muffle-furnaces, pilot-scale vacuum or atmosphere-controlled retort furnace, SPS, high temperature electric Kilns

Materials Research & Development

Expertise in Materials:

  • Titanium,
  • Cemented tungsten carbides
  • Polycrystalline diamond
  • Tungsten and other refractory metals
  • Iron & steel
  • Other metals

Expertise in processes:

  • Metal powder production,
  • Powder processing,
  • Sintering,
  • Near net shape manufacturing from powders.
  • Prototype manufacturing

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