CNPC Powder and BLT partner on production and international sales of AlAM400 aluminium alloy powder
CNPC Powder China Ltd, located in Shanghai, China, has entered into a technical cooperation agreement with Xi’an Bright Laser Technologies Co Ltd (BLT) covering the production and distribution of BLT-AlAM400 aluminium alloy powder for Additive Manufacturing.
Under the agreement, BLT has authorised CNPC Powder to manufacture BLT-AlAM400 under contract in China and sell the powder internationally. CNPC Powder has also secured exclusive overseas agency rights outside BLT’s direct sales network and existing regional agents.
CNPC Powder, which reports an annual powder production capacity of almost 10,000 tonnes, plans to use its proprietary atomisation technology to support volume production of the alloy. The companies are targeting applications including structural components for humanoid robots, lightweight parts for new energy vehicles (NEVs) and aerospace components.
BLT-AlAM400 properties and processing performance
Developed by BLT for automotive lightweighting, humanoid robotics and other industrial applications, BLT-AlAM400 is designed to offer a combination of strength, toughness and elevated-temperature stability, with mechanical properties reported to exceed those of conventional AlSi10Mg alloys.
At room temperature, the alloy has a reported tensile strength (Rm) of approximately 460 MPa, yield strength (Rp0.2) of approximately 390 MPa and elongation (A) of approximately 10%. BLT also reports consistent mechanical properties following heat treatment and good batch-to-batch consistency. The alloy is said to retain a balance of strength and ductility at elevated temperatures, making it suitable for applications including NEV thermal management components and high-temperature pipelines.
Processing data from the dual-laser BLT-S320 Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) Additive Manufacturing machine indicates that the material supports layer thicknesses of 30–150 µm. At 150 µm, the reported build rate is 76.76 cm³/h, three times that achieved at 30 µm. Relative density remains between 99.25% and 99.95% across the tested layer thicknesses, with minimal variation in hardness.
According to BLT, the process maintains consistent metallurgical properties when using thicker layers, limiting the associated deterioration in mechanical performance. The powder is also reported to exhibit consistent recoating and melting behaviour without a pronounced tendency towards hot cracking, enabling the production of complex thin-walled structures and hollow integrated housings.
Applications in robotics and aerospace
BLT identifies humanoid robotics, NEVs and aviation pipelines as key application areas for BLT-AlAM400, highlighting manufacturing examples in robotics and aviation pipelines.
In humanoid robotics, the alloy has been used to manufacture upper-arm housings weighing 0.455 kg. By integrating multiple structural features into a single component, the design is reported to reduce weight and improve robot load capacity and agility without increasing energy consumption.
Using a full build plate on the 20-laser BLT-S800 machine, BLT reports an average production time of 58.6 minutes per part, representing a claimed 70% improvement in efficiency compared with a six-laser configuration.
Another application involves thin-walled aviation and hydraulic pipelines measuring 67 × 136 × 280 mm. The AM process enables complex bends and internal flow channels to be produced as a single component, eliminating the need for conventional pipe-bending, welding and multiple machining operations. BLT reports that thicker build layers reduce production times while maintaining consistent mechanical properties and leak-tightness.
Wider aluminium alloy portfolio
The BLT agreement adds to CNPC Powder’s existing aluminium alloy portfolio, which includes AlSi10Mg, medium-to-high-strength alloys and high-thermal-conductivity grades.
The company’s portfolio includes BLT-AlAM400, CNPC-BFS and other alloys offering reported strength levels above 400 MPa, alongside ultra-high-strength materials with maximum reported strength reaching 621 MPa. Its high-thermal-conductivity grades, including Scalmalloy EX and CNPC-Al0407, offer thermal conductivity of at least 180 W/(m·K), targeting applications such as NEV components and thermal management systems.
CNPC Powder holds IATF 16949 automotive quality management system certification and SCS 100% recycled-material certification for selected alloy grades. The company plans to continue developing its powder production processes and expanding capacity in China and overseas to support the wider adoption of metal AM for volume production.
