Reuse of 316L stainless steel towards zero-waste laser powder bed fusion
Gabriele LOCATELLI, Sara BOCCHI, Mariangela QUARTO, Gianluca D’URSO
Abstract. Aiming to enhance the adoption of sustainable practices in the Italian manufacturing sector, this study investigated the application of powder reuse in laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) processes. Within the “Made in Italy-Circular and Sustainable” (MICS) Extended Partnership, backed by the European Union Next-GenerationEU, an alternative reuse strategy was studied through 316L stainless steel specimens fabricated from powder subjected to five and ten reuse cycles. Compared with virgin powder data, the characterization performed through particle size analysis, hardness, and tensile testing shows that ten reuse cycles do not affect part or powder quality significantly. The results support extended powder reuse potential, highlighting how L-PBF can facilitate zero-waste production and foster Italy’s transition toward greener and circular practices, improving the competitiveness of made-in-Italy products while minimizing both resource consumption and material waste.
Keywords
Sustainability, Stainless Steel, Powder Bed Fusion
Published online 9/10/2025, 8 pages
Copyright © 2025 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Gabriele LOCATELLI, Sara BOCCHI, Mariangela QUARTO, Gianluca D’URSO, Reuse of 316L stainless steel towards zero-waste laser powder bed fusion, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 57, pp 418-425, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644903735-49
The article was published as article 49 of the book Italian Manufacturing Association Conference
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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