Latest news with #titanium
News.com.au
15 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
DY6 Metals carves itself a slice of Cameroon's growing rutile pie
DY6's new Central rutile project shows similarities to mineral sands darlings SVM and PUA's African projects The company has picked up natural rutile nuggets up to 5cm in size Assays from reconnaissance sampling underway DY6 Metals (ASX:DY6) is eyeing a slice of the rare rutile pie thanks to its new project, the Central rutile project in Cameroon. The project has in-situ mineralisation (shallow and easily mined ore) comparable to Sovereign Metals' (ASX:SVM) Kasiya project in Malawi, home to the world's largest rutile resource at 1.8Bt at 1% rutile. It's also contiguous to Peak Minerals' (ASX:PUA) Minta project which recently reported widespread and high value mineral assemblage of up 93% heavy minerals. That includes the dominant rutile (up to 69.8%), monazite (up to 35.6%) and zircon (up to 21.5%). Rutile is the primary source of titanium, which is used in the aerospace, automotive, medical and industrial sectors. A dearth of discoveries in recent years makes the company's new project even more strategically vital in the supply chain. Not to mention, the project sits in part of a region in Central Cameroon which is rapidly emerging as a globally significant rutile province. DY6's technical consultant Cliff Fitzhenry, who has extensive experience with Rio Tinto and Sovereign Metals in the rutile space says DY6 is in a unique position to leverage the project and get it into production as soon as possible. 'The type of mineralisation we are targeting at Central is residual, in situ natural rutile analogous to Sovereign Metals' tier-1 Kasiya project in Malawi,' he said. 'Our Central rutile project is contiguous to Peak Minerals' Minta project and we both are part of this emerging rutile province.' Geologically speaking, Central Cameroon has a number of similarities to the Lilongwe Plain of Central Malawi where the Kasiya deposit is found. Both regions have a high metamorphic grade bedrock, which is interpreted to be the source of the rutile, and both areas have a deep in situ weathering profile. 'We are confident that our Central rutile project has all the right indications to be highly prospective for in situ residual natural rutile deposits similar to Kasiya,' Fitzhenry said. 'There are very few of these types of deposits globally, so we are in a unique position to capitalise on an emerging supply gap for natural rutile by quickly moving this project forward and unlocking full value.' Maiden drilling later this year This week, the company added six new licence applications which make up the Weaver project to the east of the five permits that make up the original Central rutile project, lifting its landholding from 2124km2 to 4974km2. With the Douala Basin project included, where DY6 identified a host of heavy mineral occurrences in reconnaissance auger sampling, it boasts around 7500km2 in the exciting Cameroonian jurisdiction. Plus, late last month the company announced that it had identified visible natural rutile, including large residual nuggets at Central, a size even the seasoned Fitzhenry said he'd never seen before. 'These nuggets were up to 5cm in size and appear to be a weathering product from late-stage pegmatites,' Fitzhenry said. 'Following successful completion of an initial reconnaissance program at the Central Project, we will now be moving the project to the next stage where we look to kick off a systematic soil sampling campaign this week. 'This will help us to quickly cover the project package area and will help us delineate higher grade zones which will be the focus of our maiden drilling campaign later this year.' Meanwhile, DY6's reconnaissance program at the Douala Basin HMS project has wrapped up, with results expected in the coming weeks. 'We look forward to reporting our reconnaissance sampling assay results within the September quarter and to then move the projects forward toward maiden drilling campaigns later this year,' Fitzhenry said. By way of comparison, Sovereign is worth ~$450m and counts Rio Tinto as its largest shareholder at close to 20%. With Kasiya also regarded as one of the world's largest natural graphite deposits, that puts it on the radar for a future takeover at a significant premium to that valuation. Peak shares have lifted 430% in 2025 alone, taking its valuation to $134m on the back of results from Minta. DY6 is right next door at a market cap, even after a 475% YTD gain of 475%, of just $17m. That means DY6 is highly leveraged to a discover similar in nature to next door neighbour Peak's.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
iPhone Fold and iPhone 18 Air leaks point to titanium designs
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, BGR may receive an affiliate commission. A few years ago, Apple upgraded the stainless steel and glass finishes on the iPhone Pro models to titanium and glass. After a few iterations with these materials, rumors suggest the company will return to aluminum and glass for the iPhone 17 series. Still, reports indicate the all-new iPhone 17 Air will be the only model to feature a titanium finish. Now, GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu reports that the 2026 iPhone Fold and iPhone 18 Air will also include a titanium frame. According to a note seen by BGR, Foxconn is expected to benefit from the growing use of titanium, which 'will likely be adopted by iPhone 18 Fold (titanium + aluminum) and iPhone 18 Air.' Today's Top Deals XGIMI Prime Day deals feature the new MoGo 4 and up to 42% off smart projectors Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales Best Ring Video Doorbell deals The analyst also notes that market expectations have been lowered for the iPhone 17 cycle. Even though Apple is planning an all-new design for the Pro models and introducing an ultra-thin device, the lack of Apple Intelligence features might be dampening interest in this cycle. After years of rumors, it looks like Apple is finally preparing to launch an iPhone Fold in late 2026. This device was originally expected to follow a Galaxy Z Flip-style design, but Apple now appears to be aiming for a Z Fold-like format. With a 7.8-inch crease-free inner display and a 5.5-inch outer screen, the iPhone Fold might be a 'true AI-driven' device. While Apple is still racing to deliver its most exciting Apple Intelligence features, it may rely on third-party LLMs to keep up in the AI race. Some rumors suggest the company may ditch Face ID in favor of Touch ID integrated into the Side Button. For this first generation, Face ID sensors might be too thick to fit. Apple is expected to focus on a dual-lens setup for the rear camera and a single front-facing lens. The second rear lens will be available in both folded and unfolded modes. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the device will be 9 to 9.5mm thick when folded and 4.5 to 4.8mm when unfolded. For comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 measures 12.1mm when folded. If Apple manages to make it that thin, it would be impressive. Although it's not confirmed, the iPhone Fold will likely run the A20 or A20 Pro chip, following Apple's current naming convention for its processors. Below, you can find more on the latest iPhone Fold leaks. Don't Miss: Today's deals: Nintendo Switch games, $5 smart plugs, $150 Vizio soundbar, $100 Beats Pill speaker, more More Top Deals Memorial Day security camera deals: Reolink's unbeatable sale has prices from $29.98 See the
Irish Times
29-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Kenmare boss leaves door ajar for another approach
Kenmare Resources managing director Tom Hickey has had more facetime and eartime with investors than he might have expected when he stepped into the role almost 11 months ago. Hickey told Peel Hunt analyst Peter Mallin-Jones on a podcast in recent days that he has been on to holders of more than 60 per cent of the stock since he told his predecessor, Michael Carvill , and Abu Dhabi private equity firm Oryx Global Partners to take a hike last week. They had made it clear they would only proceed with a bid that was below their initial £473 million (€553 million) proposal in early March. The investors were 'very comfortable' with the board's decision to walk away from talks, he said, adding that the process was useful at 'shining a light on the value' of the titanium minerals miner, which operates the Moma mine in Mozambique, where it has been producing for the past two decades. Moma has a lifespan of a further century, according to the company, based on its current output. 'They may come back, or somebody else may come along. Who knows,' he said. 'There are no sacred cows in Kenmare.' He insisted that the board would support a deal if the 'right value' were pitched. READ MORE [ Kenmare ends takeover talks with former MD and Abu Dhabi firm after they lower bid price Opens in new window ] Hickey's not tapping his fingers waiting, though. The managing director reiterated an interest in Kenmare buying another asset in the medium term. 'Whether it's an exploration asset, a development, or a production asset, who knows,' he said. Carvill and Oryx's original offer of £5.30 per share was rejected in March as undervaluing the company. However, Kenmare allowed the consortium access to its books to carry out due diligence, with a view to improving its bid. Carvill told The Irish Times the lower proposal was partly down to concerns about titanium minerals prices as the global economic outlook has deteriorated since the initial bid approach, amid concerns about the Trump administration's trade policies and escalating conflict in the Middle East. It also reflected how the Mozambique government is seeking higher mineral processing and exporting royalties from Kenmare. Kenmare's main product is ilmenite, which is used in the manufacture of everything from paints and plastics to ceramics and textile. While Hickey said that Kenmare had hoped that titanium mineral prices would bottom out this year, having fallen back from peak in 2022, he now reckons that has been pushed out into 2026. At least that's the hope.
News.com.au
26-06-2025
- Automotive
- News.com.au
Titanium's almost magical properties fuel growth trajectory
Titanium's light weight, strength and other properties make it valuable for a range of applications The metal is seeing increased demand from the aerospace, automotive, medical, and industrial sectors Demand for titanium is growing at a steady pace, but new supply sources are limited Often described as a magic metal thanks to its wealth of properties, titanium is seeing growing demand from the aerospace, automotive, medical and industrial sectors. But just what makes titanium so valuable? For starters, the lustrous, silver-grey metal has higher strength compared with steel and yet is about 40% stronger. It has excellent corrosion resistance, a high melting-point, and is non-toxic. While the lion's share of titanium is used as a pigment in the form of titanium dioxide, a growing percentage of global demand relates to titanium metal, which requires TiO2 to be converted into titanium tetrachloride before it is reduced via the energy-intensive Kroll process to produce titanium sponge. In the aerospace sector, titanium's light-weight strength – particularly when combined with steel – makes it invaluable for aircraft frames and engine components. Highlighting this, titanium makes up a third of the weight of an advanced F-35 multi-role combat aircraft. The metal is also used widely in the medical sector for hip and knee replacements, dental implants and various surgical instruments due to its biocompatibility, strength, and corrosion resistance. Given the range of applications, it is no surprise the US, European Union, UK, Canada, Australia and Japan all classify titanium as a critical mineral. Titanium market As demand rises, the titanium market is projected to grow from US$27-30bn in 2024-25 to $37-53bn by 2029-34. It faces supply disruptions and regional deficits due to geopolitical challenges, with Chinese dominance of the pigment sector driving supply deficits of high value titanium dioxide minerals such as rutile. Rutile is the rarest, highest grade and most valuable source of titanium. Petratherm (ASX:PTR) chief executive officer Peter Reid told Stockhead that while titanium prices are relatively stable at the moment, demand is still growing at a reasonable rate of 4-5% per annum. 'And we are starting to see a shortage of future supply. There aren't a lot of new heavy mineral sands projects being developed globally,' he added. 'Pricing is forecast to increase due to the increased demand and the shortage of local supply, particularly with high-end products such as rutile as there's been diminished supply and increased demand.' Exciting discovery This forecast is welcome for Petratherm, which is progressing the Rosewood heavy mineral sands discovery within its Muckanippie project in South Australia. 'We've completed two rounds of drilling and identified heavy mineralisation over a 20km2 area that's continuous with exceptional grades,' Reid said. 'There are two distinct lobes, or two strandline systems, to that mineralisation that we see with Rosewood East being the better looking system at this point of time. 'At Rosewood East, we've got a straight line system that's currently 3.6km long and about 2km wide where we're getting on average more than 10% heavy minerals over 10m." This combination of scale and grade has Reid thinking the company is in a good position to bring the project online quickly. 'We think we've got two premium ores there that we can sell into the market as a heavy mineral concentrate,' he added. A large part of the mineralisation consists of leucoxene – a titanium-rich mineral derived from the alteration of other titanium-bearing minerals like ilmenite – that runs around 70-75% titanium. Some portions might have up to 90% titanium. One unique point about Rosewood is its mineralisation – all titanium-bearing minerals without the zircon and monazite seen in other heavy mineral sands projects. 'It is sourced from a nearby titanium rock source that was eroded and washed down into this ancient shoreline system and so it's all titanium minerals,' he notes. 'It is just a clean sand with titanium in it and we think it's going to be very favourable in terms of processing a good clean ore.' Petratherm is now on the verge of starting another round of drilling at Rosewood. This will extend several kilometres to the north, the results of which Reid is looking forward to because some of the best assays received to date have been on the northern edge of the existing drill grid. Reid also thinks that Rosewood has great size potential and that recent results clearly indicate the company is right on the money – or possibly conservative – with its exploration target of between 250-350Mt. 'We have really only explored a quarter of that so a big part of what we're doing now is drilling out to the north to expand the current mineralisation, but also test other targets on our Muckanippie licence area for titanium,' he said. 'We'll have another phase of exploration drilling, which we're doing now. And in the spring, probably September-October, we'll go into it and start drilling for our initial resource.' Other titanium plays Petratherm is far from being the only titanium play on the ASX. There are several companies at varying stages of exploration and development who are also betting on the future of the magic metal. DY6 Metals (ASX:DY6) has been uncovering broad zones of heavy minerals at its Douala Basin project in Cameroon, with the company noting in late June 2025 that reconnaissance auger and channel sampling identified thick zones of heavy minerals along with rutile. Samples from this initial exploration program are currently being prepped for dispatch to the company's laboratory for analysis in South Africa with results expected in the September 2025 quarter. Douala Basin consists of three granted exploration permits and three permits under application that cover a total area of 2580km2, just 50km from the deepwater port city of Douala. Thick, preserved sequences of sandy material are known to exist across the tenement package and these are thought to represent palaeo-placer coastline dune deposits. Historical drilling by French multinational Eramet intersected thick sequences of sands and confirmed the presence of rutile and zircon within the valuable heavy mineral assemblage. Meanwhile, Sovereign Metals (ASX:SVM) Kasiya rutile and graphite project is one of the most advanced projects on the ASX with a definitive feasibility study due in Q4 2025. In January this year, it released an optimised pre-feasibility study with technical aid from Rio Tinto that highlighted a large-scale, long-life project capable of delivering net present value and internal rate of return – both measures of profitability – of US$2.3bn ($3.67bn) and 27% respectively. Kasiya is expected to generate total revenue of US$16.4bn over its initial 25-year mine life with capex to first production estimated at US$665m (increasing to US$1.13bn over the life of mine) and opex at US$423 per tonne of product. It will have average annual production of 222,000t of rutile and 233,000t of 96% TGC graphite. Sovereign is already on the watchlist of the majors, with Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) on board as its top, near 20% shareholder. Over in Sri Lanka, Titanium Sands (ASX:TSL) continues to progress its Mannar heavy mineral sands project, which has a resource of 318Mt at 4.17% total heavy minerals (THM) containing ilmenite. Under a scoping study completed in 2023, a stage 1 development at Mannar will be capable of delivering NPV of $545m and IRR of 52% for a low capex of $122m and payback period of just under two years. The 4Mtpa operation will produce globally competitive ilmenite over a mine life of 20 years. The company has already received the terms of reference to progress environmental studies, retention licences for the high-grade zone, finalisation of corporate funding solutions with its largest shareholders and progress of environmental studies. Terra Metals' (ASX:TM1) Dante project in WA's West Musgrave region differs from its other titanium projects in key aspects with its multi-commodity nature. The project encompasses titanium, copper, gold, vanadium and platinum, and sits in hard rock mineralisation rather than the typical heavy mineral sands. The Dante Reefs are a series of gently dipping, laterally extensive mineralised layers which outcrop from surface and run for at least 42km, believed to mirror the Bushveld province of South Africa, which houses some of the world's largest, longest running and most profitable PGE, copper, nickel and gold operations. Recent Phase 1 metallurgical testwork using simple and low-cost processing techniques (flotation and magnetic separation) demonstrated that Dante Reefs could become a reliable source of critical minerals in three high-grade concentrates – copper-gold-PGM, vanadium-magnetite and titanium-ilmenite. Earlier in June 2025, it secured $4m in funding from two strategic investors with extensive operational expertise and long-term commitment to resource development. This will fund an upcoming drill program to continue exploration and development work.
Daily Mail
16-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
SMALL CAP IDEA: Titanium demand strengthened by geopolitics
Titanium doesn't have the same buzz as lithium or rare earths, but its importance is climbing fast. Lightweight, strong, and corrosion-resistant, it's essential in everything from aerospace to medical implants, and increasingly, it's becoming a metal of strategic significance. The aerospace sector remains the heavyweight buyer. Titanium alloys are a go-to material for jet engines and airframes, offering the strength of steel at nearly half the weight. As commercial aviation recovers and global defence budgets swell, demand here is set to rise. But titanium's uses go well beyond the skies. In medicine, titanium is the metal of choice for implants. It doesn't react with the human body, making it ideal for surgical applications ranging from joint replacements to dental implants. Industrial uses Meanwhile, industrial uses continue in heat exchangers, offshore equipment, and high-performance parts that need to resist corrosion or operate at high temperatures. Then there's pigment-grade titanium dioxide (TiO₂), a compound used in paints, plastics and cosmetics. That market is less flashy but highly stable, and it offers cash flow potential for producers with the right purity levels. The real shift today, however, is geopolitical. Titanium sponge, the base material for alloys, has traditionally come from Russia and China. Sanctions and growing trade tensions are pushing governments and manufacturers to secure alternative sources. The US, UK, and EU have all flagged titanium as a critical raw material that needs a more resilient supply chain. Energy transition At the same time, the energy transition is giving titanium a new role. Offshore wind, hydrogen production, and geothermal energy all use titanium components to withstand tough environments. It's not as central to the green economy as copper or lithium, but its durability makes it hard to replace. For investors, that all adds up to a market with growing demand and renewed strategic value. High-purity titanium projects, especially those outside China and Russia, are now in the spotlight. That's why developments like Empire Metals ' Pitfield project, which just reported lab-scale results showing 99.25 per cent TiO₂ purity, are attracting attention. That level of refinement is big news. It opens the door to higher-value uses, including titanium sponge for aerospace alloys or high-grade pigment production. No secret sauce The key? Empire's processing team, working with ALS labs in Perth, used well-established methods: beneficiation, acid baking, leaching, and purification, all done on a bulk sample taken from near-surface drill cores. Crucially, it didn't need to 'seed' the process with external TiO2 this time, a sign of improved chemistry and recovery. This could make the production route more scalable and cost-effective down the line. Next steps include repeating the process on a 70-tonne bulk sample and shipping material to potential customers. With a £7million cash buffer and a maiden mineral resource estimate due soon, Empire is shifting gears from exploration to development. Panmure Liberum sees this as a pivotal milestone as Empire works to define the scale and economics of Pitfield. Pivotal milestone The initial resource is expected to confirm a vast titanium system, with earlier estimates pegging the exploration target at up to 32 billion tonnes at grades of 4.5 to 5.5 per cent. If Pitfield can deliver consistent, high-purity TiO2 using conventional, scalable techniques, it could become a rare western supply of titanium at a time when geopolitical tensions are encouraging buyers to diversify away from Chinese and Russian sources. For now, Empire is flying under the radar, but these results show it could be developing something far more significant than your average junior mining project. It's worth watching.
