CNPC Powder and Brose advance closed-loop Additive Manufacturing with recycled steel
CNPC Powder, headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, has announced a strategic cooperation with Brose, an automotive system supplier, intended to support sustainable, circular manufacturing. Together, the companies will convert steel scrap from Brose’s Chinese production lines into iron-based powders for Additive Manufacturing in the automotive industry.
“Closed-loop recycling is not only the future of manufacturing writ large; I see it as an obligation for advancement in AM,” stated Nathaniel Preston, Sales Manager of CNPC Powder. “Our partnership with Brose is a powerful example of how industry leaders can drive low-carbon transformations from concept to application.”
Kathy Liu, General Manager of CNPC Powder, added, “Brose’s commitment to sustainability aligns perfectly with our capabilities in advanced metal recycling. Together, we are reducing industrial waste and creating real, measurable environmental impacts.”
Through the use of its production methods such as AMP and PS spheroidisation technologies, CNPC Powder reported that the resultant powders from Brose scrap consistently achieve high sphericity, excellent flowability, stable PSD, low oxygen content, and full compliance with international quality systems, including IATF 16949.
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CNPC Powder’s closed-loop process is said to reduce raw-material dependency, minimise waste, and support Brose’s long-term ESG goals. Its broader recycling programmes – such as 100% recycled Ti6Al4V Grade 23 powders with SCS Certification and high-sphericity AlSi10Mg powders – are intended to further reinforce the company’s role in the development and deployment of green materials for advanced manufacturing.
A privately-owned German company, Brose develops and manufactures systems for vehicle doors, liftgates and seats. The company also produces electric motors from 200 watts to 14 kilowatts for various applications such as steering, thermal management or drives for e-scooters. The family-owned company employs approximately 31,000 people across sixty-eight locations in twenty-four countries.
The automotive supplier uses Additive Manufacturing processes in the development of new products to achieve time and cost advantages. To ensure prototypes are comparable with subsequent series production parts, Brose uses original materials in its AM processes.
“The [new Green Steel metal powder] consists entirely of recycled stamping waste from Brose’s own press shops and has the same chemical composition and mechanical properties as conventional sheet metal components,” explained Jan Sander, senior expert for Additive Manufacturing at Brose. This allows Green Steel to meet the requirements for machine compatibility and may make an important contribution to the circular economy.
Eric Fritzsche, head of Additive Manufacturing at the Brose Group, added, “Through the close integration of component design with the 3D material and innovative process technology, Brose is consistently driving forward the next generation of Additive Manufacturing for automotive components.”
Green Steel is yet to be evaluated for future volume production.
More information about Brose’s Additive Manufacturing service portfolio is available here.
