Scandium Canada Ltd. (TSX-V: SCD) announced Tuesday that it has signed an agreement with ALPOMET, a Turkish advanced materials engineering company, to establish a framework for strategic collaboration on specialty scandium-based alloys. The partnership will focus on applications including hydrogen technologies, additive manufacturing, and aerospace components.
The collaboration brings together Scandium Canada's downstream Scandium+ division, which specializes in aluminum-scandium (Al-Sc) alloys, and ALPOMET's expertise in advanced materials engineering. Under the agreement, the companies intend to evaluate joint research and development activities in metal powder production through gas and ultrasonic atomization, Al-Sc alloy design supported by Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME), additive manufacturing (3D printing), hydrogen storage and related material applications, and material characterization.
"This collaboration reflects the growing international interest in a secure scandium supply and in the advanced materials it makes possible," said Guy Bourassa, Chief Executive Officer of Scandium Canada. "Working alongside a capable engineering team with access to European end users is another step in building the network of partners that a young and promising scandium market needs."
Scandium is a rare earth metal that, when added to aluminum, significantly improves strength, weldability, and corrosion resistance. Al-Sc alloys are particularly valued in aerospace and automotive industries for their lightweight and high-strength properties. For these alloys to reach their potential in laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF), a key 3D printing technology, they must be converted into high-quality and cost-effective metal powders.
ALPOMET brings demonstrated experience in ICME-based alloy design and powder production through gas and ultrasonic atomization, including work on high-strength aluminum alloys for additive manufacturing supported by the pan-European Eureka network. These capabilities complement the alloy development work carried out by Scandium+'s division. The collaboration is intended to provide Scandium+ with an alloy formulation and production alternative for the qualification of metal powders.
"The value of this collaboration lies in the complementarity of capabilities," said Luc Duchesne, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer of Scandium Canada and Head of Scandium+. "Combining computational alloy design, powder atomization and rigorous material characterization adds capability to validate Al-Sc alloys for demanding industrial applications."
The workstreams target high-value applications where Al-Sc alloys offer a decisive advantage, including aerospace structural components and electric motor systems, where reduced weight combined with increased strength is a key performance driver. The agreement establishes confidentiality terms and provides a basis to explore collaboration. Based in Kocaeli, Turkiye, ALPOMET adds to Scandium Canada's European collaboration network.
"ALPOMET and Scandium Canada bring together complementary strengths in advanced materials, additive manufacturing and hydrogen technologies," said Yagız Akyildiz, Co-Founder and General Manager of ALPOMET. "We see this collaboration as a structured framework for shaping the engineering materials of the future, and we look forward to building it step by step with the Scandium Canada team."
Scandium Canada is focused on bringing the world's leading primary source of scandium into production through its Crater Lake mining project, while developing Al-Sc alloys via its Scandium+ division. The company aims to meet the growing need for lighter, greener, longer-lasting, high-performance materials. For more information, visit Scandium Canada's website.
