From March 17–19, 2026, at TCT Asia 2026, one of Asia’s leading exhibitions for additive manufacturing, CNPC Powder showcased its collaborative innovation with global automotive supplier Brose in the field of circular steel powder materials.
 
Through additive manufacturing technologies, this collaboration integrates metal recycling with advanced manufacturing, exploring a practical pathway for the industrial application of circular economy principles in automotive manufacturing and sustainable production.
 
The core technological highlight presented at the exhibition is CNPC Powder’s advanced gas atomization and material recycling process, which successfully converts steel machining chips generated from Brose’s production line in China into high-quality iron-based powders for additive manufacturing.

 

The resulting circular steel powder features:

• High sphericity
• Excellent flowability
• Stable particle size distribution
• Low oxygen content

Its chemical composition and mechanical properties are comparable to conventional sheet metal components, and the material meets IATF16949 automotive quality management standards, ensuring it satisfies the demanding requirements of additive manufacturing applications in the automotive industry.
 
Through this innovative process, the partners have successfully established a closed-loop manufacturing system:
 
Scrap → Powder → 3D Printing → Recycling → Powder
 
Compared with traditional material production routes, this circular manufacturing approach can reduce carbon emissions by more than 60%, providing the automotive industry with a material solution that combines high performance with sustainability.
 
At the booth, visitors could also see densely stacked 3D-printed components manufactured using Brose circular steel powder, demonstrating the feasibility and stability of recycled materials in industrial-scale additive manufacturing production.
 
The showcase clearly illustrates the concept:
 
“From recycled metal to high-performance powder — enabling true circular manufacturing.”

 

As an innovator in sustainable metal materials, CNPC Powder has been actively advancing the industrialization of circular materials in recent years. The company has launched several SCS-certified recycled metal powder products, including:

• 100% recycled titanium alloy powder (Ti6Al4V)
• High-sphericity aluminum alloy powder (AlSi10Mg)
• Automotive-grade recycled steel powder

Through collaboration with global manufacturing partners, CNPC Powder is actively building a circular metal materials ecosystem for additive manufacturing.
 
The joint showcase at TCT Asia 2026 marks an important milestone in the collaboration between CNPC Powder and Brose, while also highlighting a clear industry trend:
 
Additive manufacturing is becoming a key technology for enabling circular metal utilization and low-carbon manufacturing.
 
Looking ahead, CNPC Powder will continue to collaborate with global partners to accelerate the integration of circular metal materials and additive manufacturing technologies, helping to build a sustainable materials system and circular economy model for the future of manufacturing.