Backed by DRDO’s Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), industry partner Innomet Advanced Materials Ltd., and funded by the Defence Technology Development Fund (DFTM), this project is set to transform India’s additive manufacturing and aerospace ecosystem.
The Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad is embarking on this ambitious project to create a premium metal powder manufacturing facility dedicated to additive manufacturing and aerospace applications.
The facility will employ advanced gas atomisation technology, enabling the production of high-quality powders with extremely low oxygen content, often less than 150 ppm. This ensures superior purity and performance, which is critical for aerospace and defence components where reliability under extreme conditions is paramount.
The collaboration involves IIT-Hyderabad providing technical expertise, DMRL under DRDO offering metallurgical and defence-oriented guidance, and Innomet Advanced Materials Ltd. serving as an industry partner to bridge research with production.
The initiative is fully funded by DFTM, eliminating financial barriers and ensuring seamless development. This partnership exemplifies the synergy between academia, industry, and government in advancing India’s strategic manufacturing capabilities.
The facility will be capable of producing a wide range of advanced alloy powders. These include nickel-based superalloys prized for their strength and heat resistance, cobalt-based alloys valued for durability in extreme environments, special steels tailored for defence and industrial applications, and high-entropy alloys representing next-generation materials with unique properties.
Additionally, powders such as IN718 and P91 steels will be manufactured indigenously, supporting critical aerospace and defence programs.
The scale of the project makes it India’s largest indigenous clean metal powder manufacturing unit, positioning the country to reduce dependence on imported powders and strengthen self-reliance under the Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat missions.
By enabling local production of premium powders, the facility will drastically shorten prototyping and production cycles, cutting timelines from months to days. This will accelerate innovation in aerospace platforms, missile systems, and advanced manufacturing technologies.
Innomet Advanced Materials Ltd. has taken on the role of co-principal investigator, highlighting the importance of industry participation in translating research into deployable solutions. The company’s involvement ensures that the powders produced will meet stringent industrial standards and be readily integrated into India’s defence and aerospace supply chains.
The collaboration also opens avenues for future research into novel alloys and powder processing techniques, reinforcing India’s position in global materials science.
This initiative is not only a technological milestone but also a strategic one. By building indigenous capacity in clean metal powder production, India is laying the foundation for advanced additive manufacturing in aerospace, defence, and other high-tech sectors.
The project will serve immediate industrial needs while paving the way for long-term research and development in high-performance materials, ensuring India remains competitive in the rapidly evolving global aerospace and defence landscape.
IIT-Hyderabad Release
