COMPANY NAME Conify
COUNTRY Greece
SECTOR Aerospace & Defence
CIRCULAR BUSINESS MODEL Recovery and Recycling
CHALLENGE
Metal LPBF can leave a large share of AlSi10Mg powder unfused after each build, but SMEs often lack a low-cost, controlled and traceable method to decide whether the powder remains suitable for reuse. This creates a risk of premature disposal, unnecessary virgin-powder consumption and higher production costs. INFINITIS addressed this challenge through a pilot and demonstration project focused on validating an affordable in-house powder-recycling protocol under realistic SME conditions, while generating technical evidence on powder quality, processability, density and mechanical performance across successive reuse cycles.
SOLUTION
CONIFY developed and pilot-tested a closed-loop, no-refresh powder-reuse workflow: virgin powder was characterised, LPBF parameters were optimised, unfused powder was recovered after each build, sieved, blended with remaining feed powder and reused without virgin refresh. Eight consecutive LPBF cycles were completed using a mechanically representative build layout that included tensile specimens, density cubes and surface-roughness specimens. The methodology was validated through powder characterisation, flowability checks, oxygen/nitrogen assessment, oxidation screening, density analysis and tensile testing against ASTM F3318-based KPI thresholds. The eighth cycle marked the boundary of the available powder inventory under the defined protocol and build layout, not a failure of flowability, KPIs or part performance.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY STRATEGIES/ BUSINESS MODEL IMPLEMENTED
The circular model keeps material at its highest value by prioritising controlled reuse before disposal or external recycling. After each cycle, unfused powder was recovered, sieved, blended with the remaining feed-piston powder and returned to production without virgin refresh within the validated eight-cycle window. The protocol combines waste prevention, resource recovery, material-life extension and data-enabled quality assurance. Acceptance criteria for flowability, oxygen content, density and tensile properties transform powder reuse from an ad hoc practice into a traceable and replicable SME-relevant recycling method.
IMPACT
Environmental impact
The INFINITIS pilot testing demonstrated that a controlled no-refresh reuse protocol can preserve powder processability and part performance while substantially reducing material demand and waste. Virgin AlSi10Mg powder use decreased from 7.00 kg to 1.06 kg per part, corresponding to an 84.8% reduction, and can reach up to 96.9% reduction when retained reusable powder inventory is credited. Powder waste was reduced by 99.3%. The Life Cycle Assessment showed CO₂-equivalent emission reductions up to 66% compared with landfilling and up to 47% compared with recycling. Direct energy use was reduced by up to 97% compared with landfilling and up to 96% compared with recycling, confirming the environmental value of repeated powder reuse for LPBF production.
Economic impact
For the production of eight aerospace brackets, the validated INFINITIS reuse workflow resulted in an 84.8% reduction in virgin powder consumption and the associated virgin-powder material cost compared with the virgin-only baseline. This demonstrates the potential of an affordable in-house powder recycling protocol to improve material efficiency and reduce dependence on virgin feedstock, particularly for SME-scale aerospace-oriented manufacturing.
Social impact
The project strengthened CONIFY’s internal capabilities in sustainable metal additive manufacturing, powder characterisation, quality monitoring, traceability and Life Cycle Assessment. It also created a documented and replicable powder-reuse protocol that can support more consistent SME decision-making on powder recovery, reuse and recycling. By converting experimental validation into a practical workflow, INFINITIS provides a stronger technical basis for future implementation, standardisation and circular manufacturing practices.
KEY TAKEAWAY
INFINITIS demonstrates that circular metal additive manufacturing can be technically robust, affordable and SME-relevant. CONIFY validated a controlled no-refresh AlSi10Mg powder-reuse methodology for at least eight consecutive LPBF cycles without loss of processability, density or tensile performance and without reaching a degradation-driven rejection point. The workflow reduced virgin powder use by 84.8%, powder waste by 99.3% and virgin-powder material cost by 84.8%, while substantially lowering climate and energy impacts. The project therefore delivers a practical, traceable and replicable route toward closed-loop powder management for greener and more resilient aerospace production chains.