UK-based metal AM materials producer Metalysis has begun producing aluminium-scandium alloy powder (Al-Sc) at a composition that remains difficult to source at scale outside Asia.
Operating from two sites in South Yorkshire, the producer is manufacturing Al₃Sc with a scandium content of 36 wt.% via a solid-state route, supplying the material as powder or consolidated discs with impurity levels of ~500 ppm oxygen and 50 ppm carbon. Metalysis states that the alloy is fully homogenised, meeting requirements for semiconductor sputtering targets.
The timing of the production start couldn’t be more right. Supply chains for rare earth elements are under increasing pressure as China dominates midstream processing, including scandium, and export controls introduced earlier this year, with possible expansion under discussion, have heightened interest in alternative processing routes. As a result, the producer sources scandium oxide from multiple suppliers outside China.
Building on the point, CEO Nitesh Shah said that these export controls “have accelerated urgent adoption of our aluminium scandium alloys, and we are now scaling production to meet this demand, moving from our Gen 2 units today to tonne-scale output from Gen 3 in the coming months.”
Scaling Al-Sc production for end markets
In semiconductor fabrication, Al-Sc alloys are used in thin-film sputtering to deposit aluminium scandium nitride films for bulk acoustic wave filters and resonators in radio-frequency hardware.
The alloy can also be supplied as a high-scandium master alloy for dilution with aluminium, enabling lower-scandium compositions being assessed for aerospace and defense applications as potential alternatives to conventional aluminium alloys and, in some cases, titanium where strength-to-weight performance is critical.
That said, Metalysis is producing the Al–Sc alloy using its Fray, Farthing, and Chen (FFC) Cambridge electrolysis method, directly co-reducing aluminium oxide and scandium oxide in a molten calcium chloride electrolyte at 650-950 °C. This solid-state route enables higher scandium loadings while maintaining a uniform alloy structure, addressing limitations of melt-based processing.
For now, output is supported by four second-generation production units, each capable of producing up to 350 kg of aluminium-scandium alloy per year. With global demand currently estimated at 3-4 t annually, the company says subsequent generations of equipment are designed to increase output from several tonnes per unit to tens of tonnes as the market develops.
Alongside powder production, Metalysis has demonstrated downstream processing capability through consolidation trials with RHP-Technology GmbH using spark plasma sintering and hot pressing. The trials produced dense discs from 36 wt.% scandium powder with relative densities above 98% and uniform composition, and showed that lower scandium contents, including 10 wt.%, can be achieved through aluminium dilution.
Wider industry activity in Al–Sc
Efforts to produce Al-scandium alloys have been previously reported across the industry.
In 2020, Metal AM specialist Amaero announced that its aluminium–scandium alloy Amaero HOT Al had entered the national phase of international patent approval under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. Developed with Monash University and licensed exclusively to Amaero, the alloy featured high scandium content and was designed for AM.
Unlike conventional aluminium alloys that degrade above ~160 °C, HOT Al could be heat treated and age hardened after printing, maintaining mechanical stability and tensile strength at operating temperatures of up to ~260 °C.
Elsewhere, Airbus subsidiary APWORKS is a notable competitor in the 3D printed scandium alloy market. Its Scalmalloy (scandium/aluminum) product was used to make heat exchangers, engine manifold parts and the Light Rider motorcycle frame.
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Featured image shows demonstration of the flow of Metalysis metal powders. Photo via Metalysis.
