Metallic and Ceramic Materials

Revolutionising sustainability in additive manufacturing processes. REPAM addresses inefficiencies in additive manufacturing, focusing on enhancing material recycling and optimising processes for greater sustainability. Current production methods, such as metal powder production, suffer from low yields (30-50%), with significant energy losses due to remelting and limited recycling options for advanced alloys. REPAM transforms the entire process chain through innovation, from material production to recycling and reuse. The project develops advanced sensors and artificial intelligence models to monitor and optimise powder production processes, enabling real-time process control and the use of a broader range of recycled materials. Scrap [...]

Circular steel for mass market applications. CiSMA introduces scrap-based Electric Arc Furnace steel products into mass-market sheet metal consumer goods with high-quality requirements. Scrap-based steel production using Electric Arc Furnace leads to drastic reduction of CO2 emissions. It also favours a Circular Economy production model with reduced foreign dependency. However, this is currently not possible for high-performance applications, where the less flexible and more contaminant Blast Furnace- Basic Oxygen Furnace route is used. Moreover, low-quality scrap also affects the final performance of the steel. In that sense, CiSMA works to generate fundamental knowledge on how residual [...]

DURALINK in short Optimizing steel welds and corrosion protection to improve the durability and cost-efficiency of offshore wind turbines About the project | Objectives | Methodology | Expected outcomes | Consortium | News & events | Resources | Contact us ABOUT THE PROJECT The DURALINK project identifies optimisation design opportunities for offshore structures that lead to a reduction of the capital and operational expenditures of offshore extra-large wind turbines. To do so, DURALINK will evaluate existing and [...]

Steel4Fatigue in a few words Establishing a knowledge foundation for thick 1st Gen AHSS and spring steels to promote their extensive adoption in the automotive chassis industry About the project | Project phases | Steel4Fatigue conceptual overview | Expected outcomes | Progress beyond the state of the art | Consortium | News & events | Resources | Contact us ABOUT THE PROJECT The Steel4Fatigue project investigates fatigue-optimised solutions for dynamic components in the automotive industry by introducing [...]

H2FORM3G in a nutshell Exploring the impact of hydrogen on the formability of 3rd generation advanced high strength steels (AHSS) for future lightweight vehicles, and developing tools to mitigate the risk of cracking and delayed fracture About the project | Project phases | Progress beyond state of the art | Expected results | Consortium | News & Events | Resources | Contact us About the project | Project phases | Progress beyond state of the art | Expected results | Consortium | News & [...]

Adaptive laser beam for additive manufacturing. The ALABAMA project develops and matures adaptive laser technologies for laser metal deposition (LMD) processes with either powder or wire as feedstock material. The objective is to decrease the porosity and to tailor the microstructure of the deposited material by shaping the laser beam, both temporally and spatially, during the additive manufacturing (AM) process. The key innovation in the project is to develop multiscale physics-based models to enable optimization of the AM process. These process parameters are tested and matured for multi-beam control, laser beam shaping optics and high-speed scanning. [...]

New technology for the generation of green hydrogen. The H-LEAF project develops a PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) electrolyser based on a new national patented technology. H-LEAF focuses on the research of new scalable and sustainable components, coatings, materials and processes to overcome current limitations in the provision of materials for hydrogen production, vital to the energy transition in Spain. The project promotes scientific research to obtain new electrode and membrane designs using scalable industrial printing techniques free of perfluorinated chemicals. H-LEAF develops new bipolar plates using technologies such as stamped stainless steel substrate and 3D printing [...]

Zero emission electric vehicles enabled by harmonised circularity. The ZEvRA project improves the circularity of light-duty electric vehicles (EVs) throughout their entire value chain, from materials supply and manufacturing to end-of-life (EoL) processes. To do so, ZEvRA develops a Design for Circularity (DfC) methodology and a holistic circularity assessment aimed at improving the production of electric vehicles based on the 9Rs concept. This methodology is validated by developing zero emission solutions for the most important automotive materials, covering over 84% of material mix. These solutions are supported by a set of digital tools to support the [...]

Research, study and demonstration of strategies to obtain profitable metal spare parts in additive manufacturing processes for the automotive industry. The SPAR3D project focuses on additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing, a disruptive technology that is increasingly used in the manufacturing and repair of metal parts. SPAR3D proposes an integrated process route that covers the additive manufacturing process itself and the subsequent treatments coupled to metallic materials (steel and aluminum). In the project, steels and aluminum alloys are designed and manufactured using L-PBF technology and MEX-HP techniques, generating fundamental knowledge about metallurgy and the evolution of [...]

Development of advanced surface treatment equipment for functional enhancement of dental implant components. The main objective of the EQUIDENTAL project is the development of low cost, simple, flexible and modular surface treatment equipment addressed to manufacturers of dental implants and surgical tools. The technological innovation of the project is based on: Development of specific and optimized coatings obtained by means of magnetron sputtering PVD deposition technique on different components and dental implants. Development and optimization of bactericidal treatments on dental implants based on silver and copper ion implantation. Validation of the functionality of the developed surface [...]

NewAIMS in brief Conceptualization, study and demonstration of strategies to obtain cost-effective high-performance steel in metal 3D printing processes ABOUT THE PROJECT Additive Manufacturing (AM), and 3D Printing in particular, offer attractive possibilities for design optimization and production of limited series of components. These aspects fit perfectly some industrial and economical sectors: a clear match is that of hot forming tools. Tooling for hot stamping, die casting, plastic injection moulding benefit enormously from free-form refrigeration channels, that cannot currently be obtained by conventional (substractive) [...]

SuPreAM in a nutshell Boosting the implementation of Additive Manufacturing with optimal surface integrity ABOUT THE PROJECT The SuPreAM project is developing and improving the performance and capabilities of a predictive simulation model of finishing operations in steel Additive Manufacturing (AM).  SuPreAM has the objective to optimise the surface integrity of Additive Manufactured and Machined steel components and to reduce manufacturing expenditures at the steel industrial sector by minimising the material scrap and reducing the number of re-processing loops during finishing operations.   The excellence of [...]

Sup3rForm at a quick glance Optimizing 3rd Generation Quenching and Partitioning (Q&P) and medium-Mn steels to attain improved in-use properties and foster their widespread deployment in the automotive industry ABOUT THE PROJECT Generating a comprehensive understanding on the relationship between microstructure and mechanical performance of Q&P and M-Mn steels. The Sup3rForm project is implementing a multiscale material testing and modelling approach to identify the main damage and deformation mechanisms of these new generation steels and comprehensively understand the intrinsic relationship between their complex microstructures [...]

About the project | Project phases  | Expected results | Progress beyond state of the art | Consortium | News & Events | Resources | Contact us COOPHS in a nutshell Enhancing low CO2 steel production for the automotive sector through the development of more sustainable processing methodologies ABOUT THE PROJECT The COOPHS project focuses on evaluating how eco-friendly steel processing affects the performance of ultrahigh strength Press Hardened Steels (PHS). By delving into the influence of residual elements in press hardening [...]

Recovery of Critical Raw Materials, manufacturing of products with Secondary Raw Materials and traceability of their composition. The SENECA project, focused on the growing demand for mineral resources and strategic materials worldwide, investigates the potential of secondary sources of mining and industry through recovery and recovery processes of Critical Materials. The project seeks to develop the manufacture of products with Secondary Raw Materials for the manufacture of components for the battery and hydrogen industries, crucial for the energy transition. SENECA also boosts new innovative elements of traceability in these strategies through industrial research for new solutions. [...]