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Metal powders in Additive Manufacturing: An exploration of sustainable production, usage and recycling Sustainability has risen to the top of the global manufacturing agenda. Whilst metal AM has long been considered a green technology because of its net-shape capabilities, it is far from being a process absent of environmental impact. Here, Martin McMahon explores how global efforts are being made to improve this through the use of more sustainable metal powders, combined with a greater focus on powder reuse and recycling. Inextricably linked to this are, of course, economic gains and, in terms of supply chain, national security benefits.
Over the many years that I’ve been involved in metal Additive Manufacturing, one particular area of interest for me has been the environmental impact of producing parts this way; what is now being viewed in the wider context as ‘sustainability.’ Whilst this has become a very significant matter in the last five years, it is a subject that has always been important to AM parts producers, even if they weren’t labelling it as such. So, how is it that sustainability took hold from the background? Well, reusing powders from the machines that make parts has always been a critical factor for profit; many have always referred to this as ‘recycling’ the powder. Now that green policies and initiatives have risen to the top of policymakers’ agendas, it is loud and clear that sustainability is a label to lean into. After talking to some of the producers and suppliers from across the stock metal powder sector, this article will try to delve deeper into the recycling of materials – including what the term actually means and the reality behind the move towards sustainability.
Vol. 10 No. 1 © 2024 Inovar Communications Ltd
Scrap underlines sustainability Many powder suppliers and materials producers are now routinely talking about and publicising their efforts to be more sustainable. At last year’s Euro PM2023 conference’s plenary
session, I heard something that really struck a chord with me. Teemu Karhumaa, Head of Research And Development at Tikomet Oy, stated, “scrap is the new gold." He also noted how the near future will bring huge competition for secondary raw materials as the world seeks to reduce
Fig. 1 This nickel superalloy, OptiPowder 718, from Continuum Powders, is the first alloy qualified for Velo3D's Sapphire machine to be produced from a 100% recycled feedstock (Courtesy Continuum)
Metal Additive Manufacturing | Spring 2024
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Sustainability and metal powders for AM
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