How to Reduce Waste in Additive Manufacturing Material Management

How to Reduce Waste in Additive Manufacturing Material Management

TL;DR

• Waste comes from poor traceability & inconsistent handling

• Reuse cycles must be monitored carefully

• Small procedural changes drastically reduce scrap

• Digital tracking prevents accidental overuse

• Reconciliation highlights hidden losses

Waste in AM isn’t just the powder you vacuum off the floor - it’s lost time, lost parts, lost genealogy, and lost money.

Here’s how to minimise waste across material, workflows, and quality.

👉 Improving Customer Service in Manufacturing

Why This Matters

Reducing waste means:

• Lower material cost

• Higher repeatability

• Fewer build failures

• Higher part quality

• Lower environmental impact

Controlling powder = controlling cost.

How It Works / What to Consider

1. Track Reuse Cycles Rigorously

Each cycle degrades morphology and flow. Record every cycle → prevent overuse.

2. Use Proper Container Labelling

This prevents mixing and unnecessary discards.

3. Automate Mass Balance

This is essential for finding hidden loss points.

4. Control Sieve & Reclaim Steps

Track reclaimed powder separately.

5. Store Powder Correctly

Humidity = waste.

Step-by-Step Checklist

1. Map your current waste points

2. Implement container IDs

3. Separate fresh vs reclaimed

4. Track cycles per build

5. Perform weekly reconciliation

6. Flag materials nearing reuse limit

7. Log every transfer

KPIs

• Powder utilisation: 70–90% (target)

• Scrap rate per batch: <5%

• Reuse cycle compliance: 100%

• Unexplained losses: 0.5–1% max

Common Pitfalls

• Untracked movement

• No reclaim segregation

• Over-recycling because “it looks fine”

• Inconsistent sieving

• Using spreadsheets

Conclusion

Waste isn’t inevitable - it’s manageable. With the right material workflows and tracking, you turn expensive powder into predictable production.

👉 Related reading: 10 ways to Reduce Waste in AM