Title: Comparative Assessment of Feedstock Production Routes for Solid-State Additive Processing Using Recycled Metallic Chips

Authors: Sweta Baruah, Tony Schmitz, Bradley Jared

DOI:

Abstract: Upcycling machining chips and metallic waste into usable feedstock for sustainable largescale additive manufacturing, particularly solid-state techniques such as additive friction stir deposition (AFSD), has advanced rapidly in recent years. However, the relative performance, energy use, and environmental implications of different feedstock preparation routes remain insufficiently understood. This study addresses this gap by comparing three pathways: hydraulic compaction into binder-free bars, mechanical briquetting, and conventional remelting with casting. The work begins by establishing process-structure relationships for compacted bars produced through optimized press-based consolidation, including evaluation of density, mechanical integrity, microstructural bonding, and hardness. These experimental results are then benchmarked against established recycling pathways using published data to compare energy consumption, material yield, greenhouse gas emissions, and production cost on a process-level basis. Compaction trials produced mechanically robust feedstock bars with consistent density and near-complete material retention, enabled by solid-state consolidation without melting. While direct process-level costs for compaction are higher than some energy-normalized estimates for briquetting, they are lower than remelting-based routes when energy consumption, consumables, and yield losses are considered. The combination of low energy demand, high material utilization, and negligible direct operational emissions positions hydraulic compaction as a practical and sustainable strategy for integrating recycled materials into solid-state additive manufacturing workflows.

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Conference: SAMPE 2026

Publication Date: 2026/04/27

SKU: 105

Pages: 16

Price: $32.00