CNPC Powder and Brose showcase circular manufacturing approach
CNPC Powder, headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, showcased its joint work with German automotive supplier Brose at TCT Asia 2026, held March 17–19 in Shanghai, China. The collaboration integrates metal recycling with Additive Manufacturing, exploring a practical pathway for applying circular economy principles in automotive manufacturing and sustainable production.
Through the partnership, CNPC converts steel-machining chips generated by Brose’s production line in China into iron-based powders suitable for Additive Manufacturing.
The resulting steel powder features high sphericity, excellent flowability, stable particle size distribution and low oxygen content. Its chemical composition and mechanical properties are reportedly comparable to those of conventional sheet metal components, and the material meets IATF16949 automotive quality management standards, which, the company states, supports its suitability for demanding automotive AM applications.
Through this innovative process, the partners have successfully established a closed-loop manufacturing system: from scrap to powder, to Additive Manufacturing, to recycling and back to powder. Compared with traditional material production routes, this approach can reduce carbon emissions by more than 60%, the companies stated.
CNPC also showcased densely stacked additively manufactured components produced using the recycled steel powder, demonstrating the feasibility and stability of recycled materials in industrial-scale AM production.
