Reclamation and Powder Processing of Refractory Metals and Alloys for Advanced Manufacturing

Material supply is a national concern – especially for refractory metals used in aerospace, which a majority of our nation’s supply is from international suppliers. A solution is found through the reclamation of waste material from casting and machining these refractory metals (i.e., Ti and Nb) into powders for use in advanced/additive manufacturing of aviation and aerospace components. In addition to avoiding the scrapping of 70% of processing waste, the anticipated cost savings compared to typical manufacturing processes are 60-80% with expected specific energy savings of 54%. These reclaimed refractory powder-consolidated materials, while not necessarily meeting current chemical specifications, are viable in performance for mechanical and thermal needs; further, these materials can be tailored through Powdermet’s powder processes for fabrication into metal matrix composites – capable of re-engineering the material’s properties through additives. Reclamation with refractory metal powder processes enables an economical manufacturing process for legacy and next generation avionic parts, while reducing our nation’s dependance on international suppliers.