ArcelorMittal to Pioneer Sustainable Steel Powder Production for Additive Manufacturing

ArcelorMittal to Pioneer Sustainable Steel Powder Production for Additive Manufacturing

(IN BRIEF) ArcelorMittal, a global steel industry leader, is entering the additive manufacturing (AdM) market as a supplier of high-quality steel powders. The company is constructing an industrial-scale atomizer in Spain, with production scheduled to begin in January 2024. This atomizer will produce steel powders for various AdM technologies, including laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), binder jetting (BJ), and direct energy deposition (DED). With a large production capacity, ArcelorMittal aims to provide consistent and sustainable steel powders to meet the AdM industry’s high standards. The company is committed to sustainability by using scrap steel, renewable energy, and recyclable packaging. This venture is supported by the establishment of a new business unit called ArcelorMittal Powders. The steel powders will cater to industries such as aerospace, defense, automotive, medical, and energy, offering versatility and sustainability benefits for additive manufacturing. ArcelorMittal plans to expand its presence in the AdM market through collaborations and further product development.

(PRESS RELEASE) LUXEMBOURG, 15-Nov-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — ArcelorMittal SA (AMS: MT), the world’s leading steel and mining company, is making its entry into the additive manufacturing (AdM) market as a supplier of high-quality steel powders. The company is constructing an industrial-scale inert gas atomiser in Aviles, Spain, set to commence production in January 2024. This state-of-the-art atomiser will have the capacity to produce steel powders for AdM technologies such as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), binder jetting (BJ), and direct energy deposition (DED).

The atomiser’s capabilities are impressive, with a broad batch-size production range, spanning from 200 kg to 3 tonnes, and an initial annual capacity of 1000 tonnes. This significant capacity will allow ArcelorMittal to provide substantial volumes of steel powders characterized by consistent quality, reliability, and traceability, meeting the exacting standards and specifications of the AdM industry.

Aligned with ArcelorMittal’s commitment to sustainability and decarbonization, the atomiser will manufacture powders from scrap steel, employ renewable electricity, atomize industrial gases generated through renewable energy sources, and employ recycled and recyclable packaging solutions.

To facilitate this strategic initiative, ArcelorMittal has established a new business unit, ArcelorMittal Powders, tasked with commercializing the output of the atomiser. The steel powders will be offered in size ranges suitable for a wide array of powder-based metal additive technologies, catering to industries such as aerospace, defense, automotive, medical, and energy. These steel powders can also be utilized in cutting-edge advancements like brake disc coatings developed to help Automotive OEMs and Tier Ones comply with the EU7 regulation on particle emissions. A layer of powder deposited on brake discs enhances wear and corrosion resistance, significantly reducing particulate emissions during braking.

Gregory Ludkovsky, Chief Executive Officer of Global Research and Development at ArcelorMittal, expressed his enthusiasm for this milestone, stating, “We are proud to launch ArcelorMittal Powders, a new business unit that reflects our vision to be at the forefront of innovation and sustainability in the steel industry. By producing and supplying steel powders for additive manufacturing, we are expanding our portfolio of advanced materials and solutions for the future of manufacturing. We believe that steel has great potential to become the material of choice for additive manufacturing, thanks to its versatility, performance and sustainability.

“The additive manufacturing industry has grown phenomenally over the past decade and is expected to continue to grow in double digits over the next 10 years. While the production of steel powders is a new venture for ArcelorMittal, we are confident that our metallurgical expertise and solutions-based approach will provide our customers with the support they need to improve the quality and reliability of their additive manufacturing projects.”

Colin Hautz, CEO of ArcelorMittal Powders, added, “Additive manufacturing is an area we have been investing in and building our capabilities for several years, and we are now ready to scale up our production and offer our customers and partners a reliable and competitive source of high-quality steel powders.

“From our facility in Spain, we will offer a range of steel powders tailored to our customers’ needs. A technology as innovative and disruptive as additive manufacturing not only allows us to think about changes in the design and manufacturing process of many parts and components we use today, but also exploit one of the inherently sustainable characteristics of steel – its recyclability.”

Under the brand name AdamIQ™, ArcelorMittal’s product portfolio will encompass various steel types, including stainless steels (316L, 430L, 17-4PH), tool steels (H11, H13, M300), and low alloy steels (a dual-phase alloy; 4140 equivalent). Leveraging its metallurgical expertise, ArcelorMittal’s research and development team dedicated to AdM technologies and steel powder production intends to introduce additional steel powder products for customer testing in 2024.

ArcelorMittal believes that AdM presents new opportunities for manufacturing industries by enabling the production of complex, customized parts with enhanced properties while simultaneously reducing material waste. The company is eager to expand its presence in the AdM market and, similar to its successful approach with the S-in motion® program in the automotive sector, intends to enhance its steel powders offering through collaboration with customers and industrial partners, involving co-design and co-engineering projects.

ArcelorMittal has been producing steel powders in a pilot atomiser at its AdM lab in Aviles since 2018. With dedicated research and development facilities and a team of over 50 full-time researchers, ArcelorMittal has developed an in-depth understanding of the interactions between steel alloy design, atomization parameters, AdM process parameters, and the final properties of printed parts.

Through its AdM and Digital Research Centre, ArcelorMittal has already engaged in collaborations with customers and partners on various projects, such as the development of a generative design steel motorbike chassis, AdM productivity optimization through software algorithms, and the production of over 10 tonnes of 1,600 different spare parts per year in collaboration with a joint venture partner, serving its own steel plants.

ArcelorMittal’s decision to enter the steel powders market was influenced by two factors: the belief in the growth potential of additive manufacturing, coupled with the opportunity to be an early participant guiding the direction of growth; and feedback from industrial customers, who emphasized the challenges posed by variations in batch-to-batch quality, hindering production reliability and repeatability, and thus impeding the broader adoption of AdM in larger production runs. These considerations, combined with the trend toward increasingly larger AdM machines, led to the decision to build an atomiser with a large batch size.

ArcelorMittal introduced its steel powders and AdM capabilities at the Formnext trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany (November 7 to 10, 2023), where visitors had the opportunity to explore the company’s products and services and view examples of printed parts developed through these initiatives.

Pre-sales orders for the 2024 volume are now being accepted at competitive rates. For more information or to explore potential collaborations, please contact us at contact.powders@arcelormittal.com or visit https://powders.arcelormittal.com/.

About ArcelorMittal

ArcelorMittal is the world’s leading steel and mining company, with a presence in 60 countries and primary steelmaking facilities in 16 countries. In 2022, ArcelorMittal had revenues of $79.8 billion and crude steel production of 59.0 million metric tonnes, while iron ore production reached 45.3 million metric tonnes. Our purpose is to produce ever smarter steels that have a positive benefit for people and planet. Steels made using innovative processes which use less energy, emit significantly less carbon and reduce costs. Steels that are cleaner, stronger and reusable. Steels for electric vehicles and renewable energy infrastructure that will support societies as they transform through this century. With steel at our core, our inventive people and an entrepreneurial culture at heart, we will support the world in making that change. This is what we believe it takes to be the steel company of the future. ArcelorMittal is listed on the stock exchanges of New York (MT), Amsterdam (MT), Paris (MT), Luxembourg (MT) and on the Spanish stock exchanges of Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid and Valencia (MTS). For more information about ArcelorMittal please visit: http://corporate.arcelormittal.com/

http://corporate.arcelormittal.com/

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SOURCE: ArcelorMittal