Additive Manufacturing Options Ltd (AMS) has introduced its function in new Innovate UK-funded venture to discover the feasibility and sensible prospects of utilizing recycled metallic supplies in additive manufacturing (AM).

Recycling and Reuse of Aerospace Supplies for Additive Manufacturing (R2AM2) will examine the potential to recycle components into feedstock for metallic AM and the processability and remaining half efficiency of recycled AM manufacturing. AMS believes the venture has the potential to affect an ‘environmental step change’ in the usage of supplies for AM.

The corporate says worldwide demand for titanium – which seems set to make up a 3rd of the 1 billion USD metallic AM powder market in 2023, in response to 6K Additive – alongside provide chain restrictions, and an important want to take a look at extra sustainable supplies sources, makes it ‘extra essential than ever’ to faucet into the approximate 600 tonnes of recycled plane components to offer a ‘decrease price, prime quality product.’ AMS is asking this excessive worth scrap mining and says it might supply a viable different to conventional mining for the UK.

CEO and founding father of AMS, Robert Higham, mentioned: “The UK was as soon as a pacesetter in AM expertise, and we now have since seen a stagnation interval, with our work alongside the output of this venture we aspire to allow a vibrant and extremely worthwhile UK supply of feedstock and catalyst for materials producing components for our defence, house, aerospace, and automotive industries. 

“Having Innovate UK help our analysis and improvement on this discipline is a big and essential step in our plans as AMS. If we’re to proceed with our formidable plans to advertise and enhance on shore manufacturing it’s essential we allow a safe and sustainable provide chain of product. This venture is step one in offering worthwhile knowledge as to the true prospects of excessive worth round financial system improvement. We’re honoured to be awarded the funding to permit us to take this concept to an industrial feasibility state.”

AMS will recycle scrap aerospace components into powder which is able to then be examined and used to fabricate new components. Information from printed components will then be used to validate the method as an efficient supply of recycled prime quality feedstock for the UK additive manufacturing market. The venture will wrap up in November 2023.