Mineral exploration company Scandium Canada has signed a mutual non-disclosure agreement with the University of Waterloo to establish a research collaboration focused on additive manufacturing of aluminum-scandium alloys.
The partnership pairs Scandium Canada’s Scandium+ division with Waterloo’s Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing Laboratory, known as MSAM, one of Canada’s leading AM research centers, operating from Catalyst137 in Kitchener, Ontario with over $25 million in equipment. The first objective is to develop process parameters for Laser Powder Bed Fusion to broaden commercial applications and reduce production costs of aluminum-scandium alloys.
Why Aluminum-Scandium, Why Now
Aluminum-scandium alloys occupy a compelling position in advanced manufacturing: the combination delivers a strength-to-weight ratio approaching titanium, with the processability and cost profile closer to aluminum. For additive manufacturing specifically, the alloy’s properties translate well, fine grain structure, resistance to hot cracking, and stability at elevated temperatures make it a strong candidate for aerospace and defense components where weight and performance margins matter.
The collaboration will be led by Professor Mihaela Vlasea, Co-Director of MSAM and Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Additive Manufacturing, with research support from Mohsen K. Keshavarz and coordination by Luc Duchesne, Chief Science Officer of Scandium Canada and Head of Scandium+.
“Collaborating with one of the most respected additive manufacturing laboratories in the world marks an important step forward for Scandium Canada and for our Scandium+ division,” said Guy Bourassa, Chief Executive Officer. “This initiative reflects our commitment to generating concrete commercial opportunities for aluminum-scandium alloys. Working alongside MSAM, a top-tier Canadian research and development organization with deep market expertise and a strong business network, represents a significant step toward achieving our objectives.”
“It is exciting to engage with the industry ecosystem to address pressing supply chain needs for metal additive manufacturing,”added Mihaela Vlasea, Ph.D., Co-Director of the Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing Laboratory, Associate Professor, and Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Sustainable Additive Manufacturing at the University of Waterloo.
Solving a Two-Sided Problem
Scandium Canada’s strategy with the Waterloo collaboration addresses two bottlenecks simultaneously: securing a reliable North American supply of scandium and generating the process qualification data that industry needs before it can confidently adopt aluminum-scandium alloys at scale in L-PBF production. Pairing that supply position with MSAM’s process development capability turns a materials story into a full commercial pathway.
Similar efforts are already underway on both sides of the Atlantic. Rio Tinto partnered with Amaero to supply aluminum-scandium alloy powder from its Quebec plant, the first North American scandium oxide source, targeting aerospace and defense applications and securing a purchase order from Boeing for metal evaluation components. The move established a precedent for vertically linking North American scandium supply directly to qualified AM feedstock.
On the process qualification side, the broader industry is converging on the same problem. Germany’s AlaAF initiative, backed by €1.17 million in federal funding and bringing together the Technical University of Munich, Friedrich-Alexander University, and Colibrium Additive, is specifically targeting the difficulty of printing high-strength aluminum alloys for load-bearing aerospace structures via L-PBF, alloys that crack under the rapid cooling conditions the process generates.
The Scandium Canada and Waterloo partnership enters that same space, focused on a material with established mechanical credentials and a domestic supply chain positioned to support it.
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Featured image shows Aluminum-Scandium Alloys. Photo via Scandium Canada.
