Revalorisation of aluminium scrap from electric car battery packs by production of raw powder for additive manufacturing
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This study investigates the recycling and reutilisation of aluminium components recovered from electric vehicle battery housings to produce high-quality powder for Selective Laser Melting (SLM) additive manufacturing. The approach involves the disassembly of the battery to extract its metallic parts, followed by comprehensive chemical characterisation, melting, and high-pressure gas atomisation to generate a spherical AlSi7 powder tailored for SLM. A series of processing conditions, including varied energy densities and scanning speeds, were explored to minimise porosity in the printed parts. Subsequent metallographic analyses and mechanical testing revealed that, despite a relatively high iron content inherent in the recycled material, the optimised SLM parameters yielded nearly fully dense components. The microstructural evaluation demonstrated the formation of a refined α-Al matrix accompanied by a continuous silicon network. The mechanical properties of the manufactured parts were found to be comparable to those of conventional AlSi10Mg alloys. These findings confirm the technical feasibility of converting end-of-life electric vehicle battery cases into a valuable feedstock for advanced additive manufacturing. This work supports sustainable engineering practices and offers promising prospects for the effective reuse of recycled aluminium in high-performance applications.
Authors: Ignacio Garcia, David Perez, Olga Rodriguez, Felix López
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,860
OpenAlex ID: W4414249458