Tiangong International subsidiary passes mid-term review of national key R&D project for powder metallurgy mold steel enabling integrated die-casting and high-end 3D printing

On April 26, 2026, Jiangsu Tiangong Aihe Technology Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Tiangong International Co., Ltd. (00826.HK), convened an on-site verification meeting for the mid-term indicators of a national key R&D project titled "Key Technologies for Powder Metallurgy and Additive Manufacturing of New Die-Casting Mold Steel" (Project No. 2024YFB3713300). An expert panel confirmed that all six mid-term assessment targets had been met, marking a systemic breakthrough in China's high-end mold materials and powder metallurgy technology. The project is part of the "Advanced Structures and Composites" special program under China's National Key R&D Plan, and its outcomes are positioned to support both large-scale integrated die-casting for new energy vehicles and high-end metal additive manufacturing.

The significance of this milestone lies in its dual application targeting two of the most demanding manufacturing verticals. For new energy vehicle production, the new powder metallurgy mold steel addresses the critical bottleneck of die life in super-large integrated die-casting — where thermal fatigue and erosion under extreme thermal cycling have limited production scalability. For metal additive manufacturing, the project has developed alloy powders with controlled composition uniformity, sphericity, and flowability suitable for LPBF and DED processes, enabling conformal cooling channels in molds and complex near-net-shape production. This aligns with the Chinese localization arc pattern (P2), where a domestic entrant moves beyond spec-matching to integrate materials, process know-how, and application references. The project also reflects the broader national push to establish an independent supply chain for high-performance tooling materials, reducing reliance on imported premium mold steels from European and Japanese producers.

From a practical standpoint, passing this mid-term review does not yet constitute commercial deployment. The real test will be whether Tiangong can translate these laboratory-scale material breakthroughs into repeatable production volumes at competitive cost, and whether end users in automotive die-casting and AM service bureaus will qualify the material for serial production. The company must now execute on the remaining project phases — scaling powder production, building customer qualification data packages, and demonstrating consistent performance under production conditions. For the AM industry, this is a materials-enabling development that, if successfully commercialized, could lower the barrier to using metal AM for tooling applications, but it remains at the pre-qualification stage.