Recycling of Ti–6Al–4V chips for closed-loop manufacturing

Titanium alloys are an important material for several industries, despite being very energy intensive to produce. This study aims to maximize chip recyclability by adjusting the milling process and subsequent processing steps. The results show that the chip morphology determines the recyclability significantly. Also, a cleaning process is established to reduce chemical contamination. Based on the results a closed-loop material cycle for Ti–6Al–4V powder for additive manufacturing is presented. It is shown that the powder and material properties of printed samples are similar to those of conventional materials, while energy savings of up 77 % can be achieved.