IperionX Ltd (ASX: IPX) shares are in the green on Monday after the titanium tech company released new US testing results.
At the time of writing, the IperionX share price is up 2.74% to $5.99.
The stock pushed as high as $6.08 in morning trade before some investors took profit off the table.
Even after that pullback, IperionX shares are up 46% over the past month and more than 62% since this time last year.
Here's the latest.
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US testing puts titanium in focus
According to the release, IperionX has reported positive titanium fastener test results from 2 independent testing programs.
The programs were completed by the US Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center and Westmoreland Mechanical Testing & Research.
The tests compared IperionX titanium fasteners with high-strength SAE Grade 8 steel fasteners, which are used in demanding defence and industrial applications.
The main result came from IperionX's larger 3/4-10 titanium fasteners, which demonstrated yield torque of 563 to 615 ft-lbf in US Army testing.
That compared with about 480 to 502 ft-lbf for high-strength Grade 8 steel fasteners under the same test program.
Based on the midpoint, IperionX said the result was nearly 20% above the steel benchmark.
The smaller 3/8-16 fasteners also performed well, achieving average yield torque above high-strength Grade 8 steel fasteners.
In another positive sign, 3 of the 5 IperionX titanium fasteners did not yield at the initial US Army test protocol limit.
What investors are watching
While today's announcement doesn't include new revenue, it does give investors another sign of progress with IperionX's titanium technology.
The company is trying to prove its process can produce titanium parts that meet the demands of large industrial customers.
Fasteners are small parts, but they're used in large numbers across defence, aerospace, marine, and industrial equipment.
IperionX said its titanium Ti-6Al-4V is typically 40% to 45% lighter than steel, which is one of the main reasons titanium is attractive in these markets.
The independent testing also showed yield strength of 135 to 137 ksi and ultimate tensile strength of 149 to 152 ksi.
IperionX said those results were above typical aerospace Grade 5 titanium fastener benchmarks.
Foolish Takeaway
IperionX has become one of the more closely watched mid-cap stocks on the ASX.
The company now has a market capitalisation of about $2.03 billion, so plenty of expectation is already built into the share price.
Today's result is another step forward, but investors will want to see what comes next.
The key question is whether this can lead to bigger customer interest, and real revenue.
