In accordance with a brand new unbiased life cycle evaluation (LCA) by the Industrial Sustainability Laboratory at Oregon State College (OSU), Continuum Powders’ recycling course of for producing nickel powders from scrap lowers carbon emissions by 99.7 p.c when in comparison with typical processes. Continuum’s proprietary Greyhound Soften-to-Powder (M2P) know-how eliminates the processing levels required when utilizing virgin extracted nickel, with the mining course of contributing to 96 p.c of the carbon footprint related to typical nickel powder manufacturing.
The remaining reductions in carbon footprint consequence from the truth that Greyhound M2P avoids the necessity to convert mined powder into pre-alloyed ingots or wired feedstock. Continuum, based mostly in Houston, has beforehand demonstrated the Greyhound M2P’s viability for recycling scrap oil and fuel elements constituted of nickel-alloy Ni718 (Inconel) into steel powder for 3D printed elements, in partnership with contract producer Knust-Godwin (additionally Houston-based).
In December, 2024, Continuum Powders opened its international headquarters in Houston, that includes what the corporate claims is North America’s “largest” sustainable powder manufacturing web site. Continuum additionally maintains an Asia-Pacific Manufacturing & Gross sales Middle in Singapore, in addition to a US Expertise Middle in California.
In a press launch, Continuum’s CTO, Sunil Badwe, PhD, mentioned, “This examine confirms what we’ve recognized — sustainable steel powder manufacturing is not only an aspiration; it’s a actuality. By transitioning from virgin to recycled steel feedstocks, we’re proving that sustainability and high-performance manufacturing can go hand in hand. The outcomes of this LCA examine validate our dedication to decreasing emissions whereas delivering high-quality powder options. With 99.7% discount in carbon emissions than the standard fuel atomizing, Continuum’s powder manufacturing is essentially the most environmentally sustainable technique obtainable at present, to our greatest data.”
Co-author of the examine, OSU professor of Superior Manufacturing Karl Haapala, mentioned, “Our findings reveal how targeted and considerate improvement of superior applied sciences and use of trade greatest practices can enhance the sustainability profile of merchandise we use day-after-day. Availability of extra sustainable steel powders will support within the continued discount of impacts of novel merchandise produced utilizing superior additive manufacturing [AM] strategies.”
As Continuum Powders CEO Rob Higby advised 3DPrint.com in a December, 2024 interview, “For those who simply desire a commodity steel, we’re in all probability not the corporate for you.” As an alternative, Higby defined, he sees the corporate’s enterprise mannequin as being most interesting to corporations which might be dedicated to a long-term imaginative and prescient of offering the highest-value merchandise to their clients.
This aligns fairly properly with what Steven Camilleri, SPEE3D CTO, not too long ago mentioned about his imaginative and prescient for Make Stuff Right here, an initiative aiming to construct up Australia’s future industrial panorama by maximizing worth density of manufactured exports with superior manufacturing and high-grade supplies. And this rising philosophy does a lot to elucidate how manufacturing may be revitalized and sustained within the Western world in a manner that’s not anachronistic, because the idea of reshoring typically appears to its detractors.
Along with oil and fuel, Continuum, with its presence in a state that is likely one of the US’s hottest progress areas for information middle exercise, could also be completely poised to seize what a current AM Analysis report views as an “exponential” progress alternative for AM over the following decade. {Hardware} for the AI growth is precisely the kind of product class that makes reshoring make sense, and the information middle trade would appear to be a super match for Continuum’s dedication to a long-term imaginative and prescient of maximizing high quality and localizing manufacturing.
Photos courtesy of Continuum Powders
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