Whether you work in aeronautics, the medical field or racing, titanium is probably a highly used material in your industry, owing to its high strength-to-weight ratio, its thermal resistance, and its ability to reduce lifecycle costs for different equipment types and processes. But there is a new benefit brought by this metal, according to recent  research conducted at Leibniz Universität Hannover. Recycling titanium chips  could reduce carbon emissions by 80%. During metal fabrication, around 90% of the material results in waste. However, the researchers have found that leftover titanium chips can be recycled and used in additive manufacturing.

Why Were Titanium Chips Previously Thought Of As Waste?

Most titanium purchased by industries such as the automotive, racing and medical industries require  Grade 5 titanium because of its exceptional strength. This grade is much stronger than ‘pure’ titanium, but it is just as stiff and boasts the same thermal properties. It can also be  used in many manufacturing applications, as it boasts low modulus of elasticity and low thermal expansion. However, even Grade 5 titanium has a level of purity which, up until now, has been difficult to achieve by recycling chips. Essentially, scrap metal shows high levels of contamination. This includes carbon pickup from lubricants and oxygen from chunky layers of oxide, in addition to the high surface-to-volume ratios of chips.

How Can Chips Be Reused?

The Leibniz Universität Hannover team has found that because titanium chips can be heavily contaminated, a good solution is to recycle them directly into powder, which can be used in additive manufacturing. This process forgoes the significant waste of energy that is used in melting. Instead, the researchers found that the material could easily be ground into a fine powder via spraying. They stated, “By using chips as input material in powder production, we expect a reduction in energy consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 80%.

Improving The Quality Of The Final Product

The use of titanium chips in powdered form also promises to bring businesses greater profitability, since additive manufacturing creates a wide range of new opportunities with respect to lightweight materials and bionic structures that increase the quality of the final product. Energy savings are  only one piece of the puzzle. Researchers have stated that they will be analyzing how additive manufacturing can change various stages of the manufacturing process. Doing so will enable titanium companies to create components with customized properties for various industries.

It’s an exciting time for the titanium industry and all those they service, since titanium chips – once considered contaminated and therefore a mere waste product – can now be converted into powder and reused in whole new components. Researchers have predicted that recycling will enable manufacturers to reduce their carbon footprint by an impressive 80%. Recycling will do more than guarantee sustainability, however; it will also change various stages in the manufacturing process and enable companies to count on customized components that can also have potentially lower costs.