PILOT #1B Catalytic Converter via Electron Beam Melting

The same application, a different material, a radically different energy profile — and a direct comparison that will shape the lifecycle data for the whole project.

The Challenge

Catalytic converters for air purification are currently manufactured from steel or titanium, using laser-based powder bed fusion technologies. These processes work well with ferrous and titanium alloys, but they are poorly suited to copper — a material with a thermal conductivity so high that lasers struggle to deposit energy efficiently into the melt pool.

Copper is a functionally relevant choice for catalytic converter substrates: its thermal properties can enhance heat distribution within the part, which is a direct performance factor in catalytic applications. But its processability through conventional laser AM remains limited, both technically and economically.

At the same time, the energy efficiency of laser-based systems is typically below 20%. The electron beam, by contrast, operates at approximately 82% efficiency — a difference that is not a marginal technical detail but a foundational variable in any lifecycle assessment of the manufacturing process.

THE DIAMETER APPROACH

Circularity strategy

Cross-process comparison and lifecycle assessment of manufacturing energy efficiency 

AM process

Electron Beam Melting (EBM) / Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion

KTH (Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden) is investigating the manufacturing of the same catalytic converter geometry used in Pilot Use Case 1A — 44 mm diameter, 20 mm height — in pure copper, using Electron Beam Melting. The process model is developed in collaboration with ValCUN, which serves as process model owner for both pilots, enabling a direct comparison of MMD and EBM on the same reference geometry.

This parallel structure is intentional. The comparison between Pilot 1A and Pilot 1B is designed to generate side-by-side lifecycle data across two different additive processes, two different materials, and two very different energy profiles. The output will feed directly into the LCA comparison enabled by the DIAgonal platform.

PARTNERS INVOLVED

Process owner — EBM manufacturing and energy data collection

Process model owner — process simulation and cross-pilot comparison

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

  • Validated EBM process data (energy consumption, parameters, part characterisation) for the DIAMETER simulation models
  • Cross-process LCA comparison between Pilot 1A (aluminium via MMD) and Pilot 1B (copper via EBM) on identical part geometry
  • Contribution to the project target of 5 AM techniques monitored and simulated 
  • Demonstrated electron beam energy efficiency (~82%) as input for AI-assisted LCA tool accuracy targets (85% at M36 / 95% )
  • Pilot part prepared for EU Digital Product Passport integration 
  • Carbon emission reduction data supporting project targets of -15% (M36) and -30% 

STATUS: IN PROGRESS

Benchmark parts in pure copper have been produced and analysed. Geometrical accuracy and part density are confirmed at high levels. Machine energy efficiency has been measured and modelled — a step KTH considers essential to validate process simulation outputs, given the non-constant efficiency of the electron beam across different process parameters.

This section will be updated as the pilot advances