IART team receives validation funding - development of sustainable metal powders for additive manufacturing
We are pleased to announce that a team from our institute has received validation funding. This funding - provided by the Sächsische Aufbaubank (SAB) and the Freestate of Saxony, co-financed by the European Union (ERDF) - serves to verify the technical feasibility and economic usability of innovative research results. It is an important building block on the path from idea to application and is intended to contribute specifically to the preparation of spin-offs.
The funded project is entitled "FlexCycle Solutions" and aims to produce high-quality metal powders for additive manufacturing (e.g. SLM, binder jetting, hybrid processes) from foil-like metallic waste. In contrast to energy-intensive melt gas atomisation, powder production is carried out exclusively using mechanical processes. This not only reduces the energy requirement by up to 60 %, but also avoids the use of inert gases. The powders produced in this way are more cost-effective, conserve resources and are suitable for a wide range of industrial applications - e.g. in electromobility, power conversion or high-performance computing technology.
The funding serves to validate a circular business model that intelligently combines recycling, resource efficiency and industrial additive manufacturing. Target markets include manufacturers of electronic components, cooling structures and special components for high-performance systems. Initial application successes have already been achieved in areas such as laser cladding.
The project team consists of Dr.-Ing. Thomas Krampitz, Philipp Karsten Niebel, Eric Trebeck, Peter Jansen and Julius Eik Grimmenstein, who are jointly contributing their technical, economic and application-oriented expertise to the project. In the future, a spin-off is planned that specialises in the production and sale of metal powders. Preparations are already underway for EXIST research transfer funding based on this.
Special thanks go to the Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism (SMWK) and the start-up network Saxeed, whose support made a significant contribution to the successful application.
We would like to congratulate the entire team on this important success and wish them every success with the further validation and implementation!
Further information on the project can be found at:
https://flexcyclesolutions.com/
