REPAM Resource efficient materials for Additive Manufacturing

Summary

The process industries that support additive processes are inefficient. For example, producing new metal powder in state-of-the-art processes has only 30-50% yield, with excess powder sent to lower-value uses or remelted at great energy loss. The incorporation of scrap into additive processes represents challenges in manufacturing process stability and the stability of powder production processes. Difficulty in recycling some advanced alloys that are used in additive processes makes such circular thinking difficult.

REPAM aims to combat these issues across the entire process chain, starting with an industrial powder producer and researchers to deploy advanced sensors in new ways to optimise powder production process monitoring and enable the creation of new process models, including artificial intelligence. Recycling processes are also targeted by exploring the transformation of material waste into wires for directed energy deposition and scrap into powders for directed energy and powder bed processes. The manufacturing processes themselves are considered with advanced monitoring tools in combination with artificial intelligence models to enable real-time process control and optimisation, which will permit the use of a wider range of scrap in such processes. Materials design principles shall be applied to make alloys more robust for recycling purposes. Finally, the reconditioning of old or degraded metal powders is investigated to develop the technology for industrial readiness and thereby offer a more sustainable way to reuse these powder instead of simply melting them in bulk processes. All of these steps offer a reduction in materials losses and an acceptance of a wider range of materials into additive processes, in line with the work programme.

REPAM aims to put the additive transformation on a sustainable footing and allow Europe to lead the way in this green paradigm shift, with the associated competitive and security benefits for the entire value chain.

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