CNPC POWER: High-Strength Aluminum Powder Secures Airbus Authorization, Robot Parts Achieve Over 30% Weight Reduction with 3D Printing

At the 2025 Formnext Shenzhen exhibition, Anhui-based metal powder manufacturer CNPC POWER showcased its latest achievements in 3D printing materials, presenting aluminum alloys, high-strength aluminum, titanium alloys, and a variety of other powders. Sales Director Ruan Hongmei spoke with Panda3dp.com, introducing the company’s product portfolio, technological strengths, and future direction.

Diverse Powder Portfolio Covering Mainstream and Emerging Applications

CNPC POWER currently operates more than 20 production lines, with core products including aluminum alloy powders, stainless steel powders, nickel alloys, titanium alloys, and silver powders. These materials are widely applied in aerospace, consumer electronics, automotive, new energy vehicles, and rapidly emerging sectors such as robotics and the low-altitude economy.

Among them, AlSi10Mg aluminum alloy powder is the company’s top-selling product. With sphericity exceeding 90%, it has become the mainstream choice in 3D-printed aluminum materials due to its excellent cost-performance balance.

Scalmalloy High-Strength Aluminum: Exclusive Authorization from Airbus

The highlight of CNPC’s booth was its flagship product—Scalmalloy, a high-strength aluminum alloy licensed for production by Airbus subsidiary AP Works. CNPC is currently the only officially authorized producer of Scalmalloy in China.

Scalmalloy exhibits exceptional mechanical properties: after heat treatment, its tensile strength exceeds 520 MPa, yield strength reaches 490 MPa, and elongation is about 10%. Compared with traditional CNC machining, Scalmalloy-printed parts can achieve weight reductions of more than 30% while maintaining strength. A typical example was a robotic leg component on display—after anodizing, it featured a smooth surface, high structural integrity, and significantly reduced weight, offering an ideal pathway for robotic lightweighting.

Beyond robotics, Scalmalloy also holds immense potential in new energy vehicles, aerospace, and other industries with demanding lightweight requirements.

Titanium Alloy Powder: Recycling for Green Development

Titanium alloy powder is CNPC’s second major product line. Using hydrogenation–dehydrogenation and plasma spheroidization processes, the company recycles titanium scrap and discarded parts into powder that meets 3D printing standards. This circular process has been validated by leading equipment makers and consumer electronics giants for sphericity, flowability, and overall performance, and has already entered mass production.

According to Ruan Hongmei, the recycled powders achieve sphericity above 92% and stable flowability under 40 seconds, fully meeting process requirements while aligning with ESG and sustainability principles—an advantage that appeals strongly to environmentally conscious clients.

Expanding Materials Portfolio and Global Reach

In addition to aluminum and titanium, CNPC continues to broaden its scope into stainless steel, nickel alloys, and copper alloys to serve needs ranging from mold-making and structural parts to high-conductivity applications.

In terms of shipments, aluminum alloys rank first, followed by titanium, then stainless steel and copper. While consolidating its domestic presence, CNPC is also expanding globally, having established warehousing centers in Canada and Hamburg, Germany, to improve service efficiency for international clients. Through joint R\&D with overseas partners, the company accelerates new material development, product iteration, and market adoption.

Capacity Expansion and Market Validation

As 3D printing transitions from the validation stage to scaled production, CNPC is rapidly expanding capacity. In 2025 alone, the company added six new aluminum powder lines with a combined capacity of about 1,500 tons, along with eight new titanium powder lines to meet surging demand. Ruan noted that while most clients were still in the testing phase over the past two years, large-scale production orders have increased significantly this year—driving the company to accelerate production expansion.

Conclusion

With its leadership in aluminum and high-strength alloys, alongside pioneering titanium recycling technologies, CNPC POWER is emerging as a key supplier of 3D printing metal powders both in China and abroad. Its Scalmalloy material not only delivers transformative lightweighting solutions for robotics, automotive, and aerospace industries but also underscores the rising global influence of Chinese enterprises in advanced materials innovation.

At Formnext Shenzhen, CNPC did more than showcase its products—it sent a clear signal: as material performance continues to improve and capacity expands, metal powders are propelling 3D printing into a new era of scaled industrial application.