Scandium Canada and ALPOMET partner to develop scandium-based alloys for AM and hydrogen

Scandium Canada Ltd. (TSX-V: SCD) has signed a strategic collaboration framework with Turkish advanced materials engineering firm ALPOMET to develop specialty scandium-based alloys for additive manufacturing and hydrogen technologies. The partnership will evaluate joint R&D in metal powder production via gas and ultrasonic atomization, Al-Sc alloy design using Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME), additive manufacturing process development, hydrogen storage materials, and material characterization. The work targets high-value applications including aerospace structural components and electric motor systems where Al-Sc alloys offer weight reduction combined with increased strength. Guy Bourassa, CEO of Scandium Canada, framed the deal as building the partner network needed for a young scandium market, while ALPOMET co-founder Yağız Akyıldız emphasized the complementary capabilities in shaping engineering materials of the future.

This collaboration addresses a persistent bottleneck in the metal AM value chain: the availability of qualified, cost-effective metal powders for specialty alloys. Scandium Canada brings upstream scandium supply from its Crater Lake project and downstream alloy development through its Scandium+ division, but lacks the powder atomization and computational design infrastructure needed to validate Al-Sc alloys for production-grade LPBF. ALPOMET fills that gap with demonstrated ICME-based alloy design and powder production experience, including participation in the pan-European Eureka network for high-strength aluminum alloys. The partnership is structurally similar to the pattern where materials suppliers partner with engineering service providers to bridge the gap between raw material availability and qualified powder feedstock — a critical step before aerospace or defense customers will embed Al-Sc alloys into qualified part programs. The consumer electronics titanium pull-through has shown that fast qualification cycles are possible when the material-process pair is validated, but Al-Sc alloys remain earlier in that cycle and require the kind of systematic characterization this framework enables.

For the AM industry, this is a measured step toward expanding the usable materials palette beyond standard Ti-6Al-4V and 316L stainless steel. Al-Sc alloys have long been discussed as a lightweight alternative for aerospace and electric vehicle applications, but adoption has been limited by powder cost and inconsistent supply. Scandium Canada and ALPOMET now need to move from framework to actual powder qualification runs with measurable density, mechanical property, and repeatability data. The practical test will be whether they can produce Al-Sc powder at a price point and quality level that competes with established aluminum alloys like AlSi10Mg in LPBF systems. Until that data exists, this remains a promising collaboration rather than a market event.