Scrap to Metal Powder: Circular Metal Additive Manufacturing for Increased Resource Efficiency and Resilience
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Chalmers Tekniska Högskola AB - Chalmers Tekniska Högskola Inst f Industri- & materialvetensk |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 5 000 000 |
| Project duration | June 2025 - June 2027 |
| Status | Ongoing |
| Venture | Impact Innovation Net Zero industry - Program-specific efforts |
Purpose and goal
Due to powder degradation during additive manufacturing, the reusability of the powder is negatively affected, resulting in expensive process waste. SCARLETT is aiming to increase resource efficiency through significant improvement of powder reuse (by 10 times or more) using recent advanced in PBF-LB processing (laser shaping) and in-situ AM process control and optimization of AM waste streams by re-atomization of AM-scrap, enabling transition from a linear to a circular economy for AM.
Expected effects and result
SCARLETT will provide the breeding ground allowing to secure resilient national Additive Manufacturing chain, covering metal powder feedstock, AM technology providers, component manufacturers and end-users. SCARLETT is aiming to increase resource efficiency of powder-based metal AM by transforming metal waste into high-value metal powder for AM, hence further increasing sustainability of metal AM, increase resilience and reduce the need for extraction of natural resources.
Planned approach and implementation
SCARLETT will exploit potential of reuse of AM and conventional scrap for manufacturing of high-value metal powder for metal additive manufacturing, covering powder atomization and characterization, processability by AM, impact of reuse and recycling on material properties and evaluation of demonstrators. Approach is based on unique cooperation along the AM manufacturing chain, allowing to significantly decrease and in some cases to even fully avoid material losses during AM fabrication.