Scandium Canada Ltd. (TSX-V: SCD) announced Tuesday that it has signed an agreement with ALPOMET Muhendislik Danismanlik Yazilim Imalat San. ve Tic. Ltd., a Turkish advanced materials engineering company, to establish a framework for strategic collaboration on specialty scandium-based alloys. The partnership targets multiple applications, including hydrogen technologies, additive manufacturing, and aerospace components.
The collaboration combines Scandium Canada's downstream Scandium+ capabilities in aluminum-scandium (Al-Sc) alloys with ALPOMET's expertise in advanced materials engineering. Under the agreement, the parties plan to evaluate joint research and development activities across several areas: metal powder production through gas and ultrasonic atomization technologies; Al-Sc alloy design supported by Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME); additive manufacturing (3D printing) and advanced production processes; hydrogen storage and hydrogen-related material applications; and material characterization with comprehensive technical data sheets.
Guy Bourassa, Chief Executive Officer of Scandium Canada, stated, "This collaboration reflects the growing international interest in a secure scandium supply and in the advanced materials it makes possible." He added that working with a capable engineering team with access to European end users is another step in building the network of partners that the young scandium market needs.
Luc Duchesne, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer of Scandium Canada and Head of Scandium+, emphasized the complementarity of capabilities. "Combining computational alloy design, powder atomization and rigorous material characterization adds capability to validate Al-Sc alloys for demanding industrial applications," he said.
Yagız Akyildiz, Co-Founder and General Manager of ALPOMET, noted, "ALPOMET and Scandium Canada bring together complementary strengths in advanced materials, additive manufacturing and hydrogen technologies. We see this collaboration as a structured framework for shaping the engineering materials of the future."
For Al-Sc alloys to reach their potential in laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF), 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 the Scandium+ division. This new collaboration is intended to provide Scandium+ with an alloy formulation and production alternative for the qualification of metal powders.
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 between the parties and provides a basis to explore the collaboration. Based in Kocaeli, Turkiye, ALPOMET adds to Scandium Canada’s European collaboration network.
This partnership comes as industries seek lighter, stronger materials to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. Scandium, when alloyed with aluminum, significantly enhances strength and weldability while reducing weight, making it attractive for aerospace, automotive, and energy sectors. The focus on hydrogen technologies is particularly timely, as hydrogen storage and fuel cell applications require materials that can withstand high pressures and corrosive environments. The collaboration could accelerate the commercialization of Al-Sc alloys, potentially lowering costs and expanding their use beyond niche applications.
ALPOMET has been selected in two consecutive editions of the pan-European Eureka network Lightweighting Call (2024 and 2025) for projects developing high-strength aluminum alloys for additive manufacturing, working within international consortia including partners in Germany and Poland. The company conducts national and international R&D projects across aviation, space, automotive, defense, energy, and mining sectors.
Scandium Canada is a public company whose ultimate goal is to bring the world's leading primary source of scandium into production, enabling the development and commercialization of Al-Sc alloys. The company is leveraging its Al-Sc alloys development division and the development of its Crater Lake mining project to meet the growing need for lighter, greener, longer-lasting, high-performance materials.
