Upcycling Titanium Waste: Sustainable Feedstock For Powder Bed Fusion

Most of the global production of titanium goes towards aerospace parts, where it is estimated that up to 90% of the material is lost as machining scrap due to its high resistance to deformation. Although additive manufacturing aids in reducing titanium waste through higher material utilization, waste by-products are still produced in the form of support structures, out-of-use powder, failed builds, or discarded test specimens. This work explores the potential of giving manufacturing waste in various forms a new life by recycling it into useful powder feedstock for laser powder bed fusion through a state-of-the-art ultrasonic atomisation approach. The viability of this method is assessed through investigating the feedstock’s suitability in terms of chemical composition, morphology, size distribution, flowability and packing behaviour. The printability of the recycled powder is tested and compared against standard commercially available powder to identify any discrepancies that result from the recycling process.