Additive Manufacturing Solutions explores Recycling of Aerospace Materials for 3D Printing

The British company Additive Manufacturing Solutions Ltd (AMS) is launching a project to explore the recycling of metallic materials for additive manufacturing. The project is funded by Innovate UK.

The article Recycling Aircraft by Dan Zhao et al. 2021 estimates that 740 tons of non-ferrous metals (excluding aluminum) are available for recycling each year, but only a fraction of these are ever recycled. The project aims to investigate a potential environmental shift in the way materials are used for additive manufacturing. According to research, the international market for AM powders is expected to exceed $1 billion by 2023, with titanium likely accounting for 1/3 of that market (source: 6K Additive). Since our planet is not an infinite resource, in addition to supply constraints and rising costs due to ongoing conflicts, it is more important than ever to address the approximately 600 tons of recycled aircraft parts that could support this growth by providing a lower cost, higher quality product. AMS refers to this as high-value scrap mining and believes it is likely that there will be an alternative to mining for the UK market if reusable feedstock is available.

CEO and founder of AMS, Robert Higham, said: “The UK was once a leader in AM technology, and we have since seen a stagnation period, with our work alongside the output of this project we aspire to enable a vibrant and highly profitable UK source of feedstock and catalyst for material producing parts for our defence, space, aerospace, and automotive industries. Having Innovate UK support our research and development in this field is a significant and crucial step in our plans as AMS. If we are to continue with our ambitious plans to promote and increase on shore manufacturing, it is crucial we enable a secure and sustainable supply chain of product. This project is the first step in providing valuable data as to the true possibilities of high value circular economy development. We are honoured to be awarded the funding to allow us to take this idea to an industrial feasibility state.”

By November 2023, AMS will recycle aerospace parts, process them into powder, and manufacture new components from them. These will provide information on whether the process is suitable for a high-quality AM raw material base in the UK.