In accordance with Additive Manufacturing Analysis (AMR), metallic 3D printing supplies had been valued at $920 million in 2023. Nonetheless, solely a really small proportion of that sector is definitely centered on producing high quality powders from recycled metals. That is prone to change as useful resource shortage, excessive costs, and environmental influence drive producers towards sustainable alternate options.
Among the many corporations main this nascent pattern is Continuum Powders. The Houston-based startup is additional lowering the influence of metallic AM on the setting by signing offers with Precedence Energy and Airgas. These agreements will imply that not solely will the corporate be producing supplies from one hundred pc recycled metallic, however it can accomplish that whereas lowering general power consumption considerably.
The contract with Precedence Energy will see Continuum receiving 100% renewable electrical energy sourced from hydropower. This shift to renewable electrical energy is predicted to drastically cut back power consumption – from 1700 kWh/kg to a mere 17 kWh/kg, a fraction of what’s used when counting on conventional grid electrical energy. Additional strengthening its dedication to sustainability, Continuum Powders has additionally partnered with Airgas for the availability of argon gasoline. This gasoline, important in metallic powder processing, will now be licensed as being produced with 99.8% renewable inexperienced power.
The Greyhound M2P 3.0. Picture courtesy of Continuum Powders.
Final November, Continuum launched the most recent model of its Greyhound M2P (melt-to-powder) platform. Counting on a high-intensity DC plasma warmth supply, the system melts and atomizes alloyed metallic waste into powder in a single step, considerably lowering transportation, dealing with, and processing prices, and minimizing the necessity for mining new metallic assets. The synergistic impact of those renewable power sources, coupled with Continuum Powders’ distinctive processing strategies, is anticipated to convey the corporate’s whole power consumption near zero.
“It’s one factor to assert to be ‘inexperienced’ or use inexperienced power,” acknowledged Phil Ward, chief govt officer of Continuum Powders. “It’s a very totally different factor to truly decide to the motion and provide clients a viable and really clear, sustainable providing that has an actual and definable influence on their very own sustainability and decarbonization initiatives. Continuum Powders is the one metallic powders firm immediately that’s actively lowering its carbon footprint in each step of the availability chain as a objective to achieve web zero carbon depth.”
In accordance with Grandview Analysis, the worldwide recycled metallic market measurement was valued at $1.07 billion in 2022 and is anticipated to develop at a compound annual progress price (CAGR) of 5.6 p.c from 2023 to 2030. Given AMR’s close to $1 billion estimate for metallic AM supplies for 2023 in whole, Continuum has positioned itself on the head of a small pack of corporations centered on recycling metallic to create metallic powders for AM. This consists of 6K and IperionX, particularly.
If we take a 2:1 weighting favoring the AM market progress price, reflecting its speedy progress, in comparison with the dimensions of recycled metals general, we’d anticipate a CAGR for recycled metals for AM to about 24 p.c. This determine is simply an estimate, however, given the broad vary of initiatives being pursued by the Biden Administration and governments globally, it might precisely replicate actuality.
As a result of AM corporations are already touting the expertise as sustainable, it can turn into more and more mandatory for firms within the sector to deal with such necessary concerns as power enter. By doing so early on in its roadmap, Continuum has given itself a head begin which may be essential amid world decarbonization. As an example, when authorities businesses are awarding grants for superior manufacturing, they could go for the extra sustainable of the bunch.
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