ADMA Products Inc. has operated quietly as a small, advanced-materials company that got its start making titanium products more than two decades ago.

But company officials predict its recent work to create high-quality titanium powder for the manufacturing of components will expand this company of six employees to more than 400 in the next five years.

A vote of confidence in that direction came last month when a national project that ADMA is leading won a $3.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

ADMA, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Texas A&M University have teamed up on an innovation designed to improve the efficiency of air-conditioning units.

ADMA’s role is to produce a porous metal foil that filters water molecules out as humid air streams through, reducing the amount of energy needed to cool the dehumidified air.