Skuld Patents Casting Process for Wrought-Grade Aluminum from Scrap Feedstock

US-based manufacturing company Skuld has filed a patent covering its ability to cast wrought-grade aluminum alloys, including 6061 and 7075, directly from scrap feedstock without traditional mill processing. The development is part of the DARPA Rubble to Rockets (R2R) program, which aims to convert scrap metal into structural parts using advanced casting and AI-assisted analysis. Skuld’s process, called Additive Manufacturing Evaporative Casting (AMEC), uses 3D printed patterns to create lost foam casting molds, eliminating hard tooling lead time. Collaborative research partners include Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Foundry Casting Systems, and MatMicronia, with CEO Sarah Jordan leading the effort.

This development addresses a persistent constraint in field manufacturing: producing wrought-equivalent mechanical properties through casting alone. The R2R program tackles three technical problems simultaneously — identifying unknown scrap alloys via AI-assisted spark testing, predicting mechanical performance, and producing usable parts without conventional supply chains. Skuld’s experiments eliminated cracking in complex geometries, achieving wrought-level strength in 6061 and 7075 aluminum through casting and heat treatment alone. The patent filing signals the company sees this method as commercially defensible ground, moving beyond controlled metal recycling into a capability the U.S. military has formally identified as a national security priority.

From an expert standpoint, Skuld’s patent is notable because it addresses a genuine bottleneck in expeditionary manufacturing: the inability to produce structural-grade aluminum parts from uncontrolled feedstock. The company must now demonstrate that the process scales beyond lab conditions and maintains repeatable mechanical properties across variable scrap sources. For defense logistics planners, this represents a potential path to reducing supply chain dependency, but the qualification burden for flight-critical or load-bearing components remains substantial.