Two-phase flow between solid particles and interstitial air is shown to control how powders settle, discharge and move through hoppers, chutes and transfer points, with air pressure gradients often dominating behaviour in fine or aeratable materials. Jenike & Johanson’s microlearning session explains how phenomena such as flooding, ratholing and erratic discharge arise when air cannot escape freely, and why conventional single-phase flow assumptions fail. The content points engineers towards incorporating air permeation, deaeration and venting design into bulk solids handling calculations and equipment selection.

Revenue at Belgian building materials group Etex rose 4.9% in H1 2026, with cash flow up 8.8%, driven by stronger demand across several global markets. The supplier of lightweight construction systems, fibre cement boards and plasterboard reported that France and the UK lagged, reflecting weaker residential activity and delayed refurbishment work. For contractors and specifiers, the figures signal continued availability and investment capacity in Etex’s product lines, but with potentially tighter pricing and lead times in underperforming Western European markets.

IperionX has secured a US Army SBIR Phase III contract allowing US defence agencies to place titanium orders up to a collective $99 million, with the first two task orders worth about $19.8 million. Funding will expand integrated titanium powder-to-finished-component production at its Virginia facility, adding continuous HSPT and dehydride furnace capacity and bringing titanium fastener finishing fully in-house. The programme targets industrial-scale manufacture of titanium track pins, bolts and fasteners, with inspection and acceptance planned at Detroit Arsenal and Aberdeen Proving Ground, and may extend to aerospace‑grade components.