Towards a circular metal additive manufacturing through recycling of materials: A mini review

Additive manufacturing is a new emerging technology which is ideal for low-to-zero waste production, and it is considered to be a green and clean process that has the potential to lower the cost and energy consumption of production. However, the cost of the feedstock for additive manufacturing and the additive manufactured parts is usually very high, which hinders the further application of additive manufacturing, especially for the metal additive manufacturing. The concept of circular metal additive manufacturing involves the recycling of the metal feedstock and the additive manufactured parts leading to the truly zero waste production and the most energy saving. This paper reviews the technologies that help the formation of a circular metal additive manufacturing through recycling of the feedstocks and the damaged metal parts. Reactive metals, such as titanium, tend to be contaminated easily during handling and production. Recycling of the titanium for achieving a circular titanium additive manufacturing is reviewed in detail.