Rio Tinto makes first sale of aluminium-scandium alloy for 3D printing
March 10 2021 - 5:57PM
Business Wire
Rio Tinto has signed an agreement to provide a first commercial
batch of high-performance aluminium-scandium alloy from its North
American operations to Amaero, a leader in metal additive
manufacturing.
This first sale is being delivered through Rio Tinto’s unique
position as a producer of both aluminium and scandium, and its
technical capability to develop specialised alloys.
Under the agreement, Rio Tinto will deliver alloy billets made
of responsibly produced, low carbon aluminium from its
hydro-powered Canadian smelters and high purity scandium oxide from
its Rio Tinto Fer et Titane (RTFT) metallurgical complex in
Sorel-Tracy, Quebec. The billets will be processed by Amaero into
powder for 3D printing and offered to the market for high
temperature applications.
The scandium oxide will be supplied from a new plant Rio Tinto
is building in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, bringing the first North
American supply source to the world. The plant will use an
innovative recovery process developed by Rio Tinto scientists to
extract high purity scandium oxide from the waste streams of
titanium dioxide production, without the need for any additional
mining.
The companies will also collaborate to develop the supply chain
for Amaero’s high performance, High Operating Temperature Aluminium
Alloy, “Amaero HOT Al”, and commercialise this lightweight material
for applications in the aerospace, defence and other
industries.
Rio Tinto Aluminium vice president Sales and Marketing Tolga
Egrilmezer said: “As a global leader in aluminium and the first
producer of high-quality scandium oxide in North America, Rio Tinto
is uniquely positioned to provide a secure source of
aluminium-scandium alloy to the market. Aluminium-scandium alloy is
the material of choice where a lightweight, high-strength material
with thermal resistance and good welding properties is needed, such
as for defence and aerospace applications. This first sale
demonstrates our ability to develop products that meet our
customers’ needs, drawing on our technical expertise and world
class assets.”
Amaero chief executive officer Barrie Finnin said: “We are very
pleased to enter this Agreement with Rio Tinto to purchase the
first commercial batch of aluminium scandium alloy from a North
American source. This is an important step in the commercialisation
of this high performance alloy that will be used in our
breakthrough 3D metal printing technology. We look forward to
working with Rio Tinto to progress the production of the alloy so
we can commence the qualification process with key customers in the
aerospace sector and other industries.”
Notes to editors
About Rio Tinto Aluminium
Rio Tinto is an industry leader in responsible aluminium
production. In 2016, Rio Tinto launched RenewAl, the world’s first
certified low CO2 primary aluminium brand. It has helped to pioneer
responsible production standards for the global industry as a
founding member of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI),
becoming the first producer to offer ASI Aluminium in 2018. Earlier
this year, Rio Tinto also launched START, the first sustainability
label for aluminium delivered to customers through blockchain
technology, enabling them to differentiate between end products
based on their environmental, social and governance
credentials.
About Amaero
Amaero International Limited is an Australian based company that
manufactures large format complex components in metal with
laser-based additive manufacturing processes, commonly known as 3D
printing. The Company is listed on the Australian Securities
Exchange under the ticker code (ASX:3DA)
Amaero has worked with many of the world’s leading manufacturers
of aerospace and defence products in both an R&D and
manufacturing capability and has a demonstrated ability to deliver
aviation and military specification 3D printed alloy critical
operation components.
Amaero was established with the support of Monash University in
2013 to take advantage of commercial opportunities identified by
the Monash Centre for Additive Manufacturing (MCAM). Amaero is
co-located with MCAM in Melbourne Australia. It operates two
additional facilities, in Adelaide, South Australia, and El
Segundo, California, USA.
Category: Saguenay
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