Hello Dirk, I have been following the push sustainability in HPDCs especially in automotive industry. I have had discussions with engineers from an automotive company who rightfully advocated for use of secondary aluminum ingots for reduced CO2 footprint. However, they also defended the idea that because of secondary ingots, the properties (performance) of castings should be expected to be lower so the mechanical property specifications could not be as high as would be in HPDC produced from primary ingots. This duality of lower CO2 footprint and lower properties was the subject of the paper below that was published last year. We showed that the overall CO2 FOOTPRINT INCREASES because of lower expectations. I think the same approach can easily be applied to AM parts as they suffer from oxides as well. I hope this helps. I would love to hear any comments on this paper. Best, Murat

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Hi Dirk,

In brief:

• Energy: HPDC is high-energy; AM can be more efficient for complex parts.

• Material Use: AM has less waste; HPDC generates scrap.

• CO₂ Impact: HPDC’s footprint is generally higher; AM’s can be lower with renewables.

• Performance: HPDC excels in strength; AM has flexibility but may face issues with oxides, as Murat noted.

Both have pros and cons—hybrid approaches could leverage the best of each.

Best,

Kareem M. Mohamed