About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Circular Metallurgy: Design, Technology, Application
|
| Presentation Title |
Process-Scale Circularity in Metal Additive Manufacturing: Repurposing Off-Specification M789 LPBF Powders |
| Author(s) |
Mehmet Cagirici, Alpravinosh Alagesan, Evangelos Daskalakis, Paulo Bartolo |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Mehmet Cagirici |
| Abstract Scope |
Although Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) produces intricate, high-performance components, it also generates large volumes of powder that fall outside its tight process window. Discarded M789 maraging steel powder amplifies waste challenge of LPBF. We close this loop by feeding oversize and collection-bin fractions into laser Directed Energy Deposition (L-DED), a process that tolerates broader particle sizes while preserving alloy chemistry. Careful powder and build characterisation confirmed that the off-specifications feedstock has a broadened D₉₀ > 130 µm and elevated oxygen content that values still well within the operating window of L-DED. Build trials resulted in having parts with > 99.5 % density, near-complete martensitic transformation after ageing, and yield strength roughly 10 % above reference LPBF specimens, with only a modest loss in ductility. Keeping M789 powder circulating therefore cuts virgin-powder demand and diverts waste, offering an immediate, scalable step toward a truly circular metal-additive-manufacturing economy. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Additive Manufacturing, Sustainability, Iron and Steel |