ArcelorMittal has received environmental approval to construct a steel powder production facility in Avilés, Asturias, Spain. The permit was officially announced in the BOPA bulletin. The approval enables the company to progress from research activities to industrial-scale production.
Facility design and production equipment
The planned plant is part of the ArcelorMittal Powders division. It is intended to supply steel powders for 3D printing technologies and additive manufacturing. The facility is designed to operate with renewable energy.
The process will include an electric arc furnace (EAF) and a high-pressure gas atomizer. Scrap metal will be converted into steel powder through this production route. The project is described as an environmentally responsible approach to producing the material.
Capacity, batch range, and product portfolio
The facility’s annual production capacity is set at 1,800 tons. Operations will be able to manage batch sizes ranging from 200 kilograms to 3 tons. The powders are expected to serve sectors including aerospace, defense, automotive, medical, and energy.
Under the AdamIQ brand, the portfolio will include stainless steels: 316L, 430L, and 17-4PH. It will also include tool steels H11, H13, and M300. Low-alloy steels are listed as part of the range for additive manufacturing applications.
Link to circular metallurgy and prior hydrogen pilot
The project is presented as an integration of circular metallurgy and 3D printing technologies. Production is scheduled to begin after product certification. The company’s experience in eco-innovations is cited as part of the basis for the rollout.
The Avilés initiative follows ArcelorMittal’s green hydrogen pilot at the Olabertris plant in Spain. That pilot became the first in Europe to operate rolling mill furnaces entirely on hydrogen. The hydrogen system is described as eliminating CO2 emissions from steel heating.