SUMMSEED project to develop sustainable steel for DED
The SUMMSEED project, a collaboration between academic and technological partners with private companies specialised in the steel sector, has been announced as an international project that aims to create a more sustainable steel with lower greenhouse gas emissions than current steels manufactured using traditional techniques. The scientific partners are responsible for validating and certifying the properties of the new sustainable steel being manufactured by Sandvik and for applying the wire-based metal Additive Manufacturing technology from Meltio.
SUMMSEED stands for SUstainable Medium Manganese StEEls for cost-efficient applications in heavy inDustries. It is a European project funded by the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) that focuses on developing medium-Mn steels tailored to the industrial conditions of casting and remanufacturing by directed energy deposition (DED) using laser-wire AM technology.
SUMMSEED will progress from alloy design and laboratory testing to pilot plant casting trials and the repair of real cone crusher components, laying the foundations for a circular, low-carbon steel ecosystem that keeps high-value parts in service for longer.
The project will develop a medium-Mn steel (MMnS) that reduces emissions in manufacturing and repair by minimising the use of critical alloying elements and using AM. The new alloys are expected to show a good combination of strength, toughness, and wear resistance for heavy-industry applications. It will be adapted to industrial casting and remanufacturing processes through AM (using the laser-based DED industrial metal AM technology), offering a more sustainable and cost-efficient alternative to traditional steels. The reduced Mn content supports European policies to reduce dependence on critical raw materials.
SUMMSEED reportedly represents the first approach to transferring MMnS metallurgy to industrially relevant conditions using highly applicable near-net shape techniques, with industrial mining equipment as the demonstrator.
Pere Barriobero Vila, coordinator of the SUMMSEED project at UPC in Barcelona, stated, “It is expected that this novel material will render an improved service performance than the currently used Hadfield steels enabling a more sustainable production by reducing alloying elements and the reuse of end-of-life parts. By tailoring alloys for both casting and directed energy deposition (DED) remanufacturing, the project aims to replace traditional Hadfield steels with leaner, more cost-efficient grades that offer high strength, toughness and wear resistance while reducing CO₂ emissions and the use of critical raw material. From casting to DED repair, the project enables a complete circular process that extends component lifespan and minimises material waste and environmental impact.”
The project is coordinated by the Technical University of Catalonia · BarcelonaTech (UPC), which provides expertise in alloy design, advanced characterisation, linking fundamental metallurgy to industrial needs. The project is an interdisciplinary collaboration that provides experience and capabilities from the partners throughout the entire manufacturing route: from alloy design, raw material production, manufacturing processes such as casting as well as wire production and DED, to component quality validation, guided by laboratory characterisation and advanced synchrotron characterisation.
CIM UPC provides expertise in digital and Additive Manufacturing. Sidenor oversees industrial steel manufacturing and its quality validation. The Technical University of Freiberg (TUBAF) contributes to modelling, metal forming and wire feedstock production for AM. The Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) provides expertise in simulation and material kinetics for steel development. Sandvik will develop the product demonstrators and testing upscaling TRL. As technology provider for laser-based DED, Meltio contributes to DED equipment, process development and novel know-how for remanufacturing. Recently, all project members gathered at the UPC.
The project team provides industrially oriented knowledge, processing guidelines and demonstrators up to pilot plant testing to help steelmakers, technology providers and end users to adopt sustainable products and circular processing routes with lower risk and faster time-to-market:
- Sustainable alloy design: access to validated steel concepts that balance performance, cost and sustainability
- Casting & directed energy deposition: the industry can benefit from process optimisation, best-practice recommendations and quality criteria under realistic conditions
- Use-case oriented research: SUMMSEED develops and tests cone-crusher components providing real performance data on wear, impact resistance and lifetime extension in demanding mining conditions
SUMMSEED responds to the need to support the high-volume production and repair of steel parts in the mining industry, aiming to reduce the lead time and total lifecycle costs of equipment while contributing to environmental sustainability.
The project aims to pioneer the remanufacturing of worn or damaged Mn steel parts using DED material feedstock, extending their service life and promoting resource conservation.
To maximise industrial uptake, the SUMMSEED consortium offers practical guidelines, workshops and direct engagement with companies to support the implementation of project results in real production environments. At the same time, its findings and assessments provide valuable input for policymakers and standardisation bodies, helping to shape frameworks that recognise and promote circular, low-carbon steel solutions.
