The steel manufacturer Outokumpu employs innovative technology at its Krefeld site: The Finnish company produces metal powder from its own stainless steel scrap in a new inert gas atomization plant. This powder is then used as a raw material for 3D printing in industry.
After two years of planning and construction, the plant for the production of high-quality metal powders started operations in April 2023. Outokumpu describes the new production facility in Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, as an important milestone – not only because it adds metal powder production to the company's portfolio, but also because it makes the entire value chain more sustainable.
NRW Minister-President Hendrik Wüst, who was a guest at the inauguration in August 2023, emphasizes the added value of the new plant for NRW as a business location: "The company is using the opportunities offered by the circular economy to make steel production more efficient and to conserve resources, while at the same time preserving and expanding good jobs. The use of additive manufacturing in industry is a promising and key technology for North Rhine-Westphalia as an industrial location, also in order to secure our global competitiveness".
