Scandium Canada files US patent for aluminium-scandium alloy powders for Additive Manufacturing
February 26, 2025
Scandium Canada Ltd., Montreal, Canada, has filed a provisional patent with the US Patent Office entitled ‘Aluminium alloy powders for Additive Manufacturing. Methods of producing the same and uses thereof’. The patent discusses the Additive Manufacturing of two aluminium-scandium alloys, and is aimed at reducing the incidence of solidification microcracks during the AM process.
Scandium Canada added that it has developed the two aluminium-scandium (Al-Sc) alloys and their powders specifically for Additive Manufacturing applications. Working in collaboration with McMaster University, Ontario, Canada, this is said to have resulted in a significant body of intellectual property developed over the last three years.
“We are very excited about this new step in the development of the company,” stated Guy Bourassa, Scandium Canada CEO. “It confirms our objective to be recognized as a leader in the scandium markets, not only by developing the largest hard rock primary scandium project in the world but also by developing applications for scandium. Scandium is the metal of the future, and we are deeply engaged in its development and market growth.”
Test coupons have now been successfully manufactured via Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) Additive Manufacturing at the Faculty of Engineering at McMaster University. For comparison, duplicate coupons were additively manufactured using a commercial alloy.
The company expects to assess the mechanical properties of these coupons, with and without heat-tempering subsamples, within the next two months. Once it has these results, Scandium Canada plans to conduct targeted marketing of the powders in industrial sectors with a short adoption cycle. The business model is to establish co-development activities between end-users, academia, governments and Scandium Canada.
Luc Duchesne, PhD. Chief Science Officer added, “The commercial emergence of aluminium powders in 3D printing represents a significant advancement in Additive Manufacturing technology. With the filing of patents such as the one by Scandium Canada Ltd., the potential for using aluminium alloy powders for 3D printing applications using aluminium scandium alloys has increased.”
One alloy described in Scandium Canada’s patent application is a modified 7075 alloy with scandium and other metals. The company intends for its modified 7075 to displace standard 7075 alloys, which are used in many industries, including aerospace, automotive, and military. It is a strong, lightweight alloy often used in applications that require high strength, such as aircraft wings and fuselage, aircraft fittings, fuse parts, gears and shafts, missile parts and regulating valve parts.
“This development creates new possibilities for manufacturing lightweight, high-strength components, particularly in aerospace, automotive, and maritime industries. 3D printing has the potential to revolutionise the way metal components are manufactured, offering greater design flexibility and efficiency in production processes,” concluded Duchesne.
