AMGTA Report Describes Method for Safe Shipping and Recycling of Metal-AM Waste
June 30, 2022Comments
The Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association (AMGTA) has issued a report outlining the requirements to passivate metal condensate waste for transport and recycling. The new process, developed by AMGTA member Sintavia and KBM Advanced Materials, involves mixing powder condensate waste with a removable resin, which renders the waste nonhazardous and shippable to a recycling plant. Metal condensate, the term used for excess soot and powder blown off of a build plate during the powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing (AM) process, previously had been treated as a hazardous material and disposed of as such at a very high cost, note AMGTA officials.
“Today’s report is a must-read for any company involved in laser powder bed fusion metal additive manufacturing (AM),” says Sherri Monroe, AMGTA executive director. “Not only does this new process reduce transportation costs, but it also is reversible, meaning that metal-recycling companies can have unsoiled access to the underlying powder once it is received—thus allowing for the potential to recycle waste material that previously had to be put in a hazardous waste landfill.”
“I hope that other companies adopt this new process, as it will reduce their transportation costs since the underlying material is no longer hazardous,” says Brian Neff, AMGTA board chair and Sintavia CEO. “This report is an excellent example of the AMGTA taking a leadership role in developing sustainable use practices for AM.”
Read the full report at www.amgta.org/resources.
See also: Sintavia LLC, Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association
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