Published October 28, 2026 at 8:08 PM EDT
The University of Turku in Finland has introduced a multi-material recoater to its metal 3D printing system, enabling the deposition of different powders within a single layer. This setup allows researchers to explore parts that combine multiple metals, a development linked to future plasma-facing components for fusion energy and aerospace propulsion. The system uses three separate powder-delivery drums to lay down different powders in selected areas of a layer before laser processing. This approach allows for the creation of parts where the material composition varies by location, offering new possibilities for designing components with tailored properties.
The hardware, a Schaeffler Aerosint SPD2.1-B5 recoater, is integrated into the university’s Aconity MIDI+ printer. The project received funding through the AM4Plasma initiative, a EUREKA Network project coordinated by the University of Turku and supported by Finland’s Business Finland CoInnovation program. In traditional laser powder bed fusion, a single powder is spread across the build area and melted by a laser. The new system enables the placement of multiple powders in a single layer, which can then be processed by the laser. This capability allows for the production of complex parts with varying material properties.
University of Turku integrates multi-material recoater into metal 3D printing for aerospace and fusion research.
Multi-Material Setup Enhances Metal 3D Printing
The ability to combine different metals in a single part could lead to components that withstand heat or wear in one area while providing structural support or heat transfer in another. This innovation opens new avenues for material design and manufacturing in high-performance applications. The project is led by Associate Professor Ashish Ganvir, who emphasizes that multi-material manufacturing allows researchers to determine the optimal material for each region of a component. This infrastructure supports the investigation of material interactions and the development of new applications with industrial partners.
The integration of the multi-material recoater into the Aconity MIDI+ printer represents a significant advancement in metal additive manufacturing. It provides a platform for testing how different materials behave when combined and how they can be used in practical applications. The AM4Plasma project aims to develop new plasma generator hardware, with the University of Turku serving as the coordinating institution. The initiative is part of a broader effort to advance additive manufacturing technologies for industrial and scientific use.
Integration of Hardware for Material Testing
Business Finland’s CoInnovation program supports projects that foster collaboration between research organizations and industry. This funding model encourages the development of innovative solutions with potential for commercial and technological impact. The research conducted at the University of Turku could have implications for aerospace and fusion energy sectors. Components with varying material properties may improve performance in extreme environments, such as those found in propulsion systems or plasma-facing structures.
The university’s work aligns with broader efforts in additive manufacturing to create more complex and functional parts. By exploring multi-material printing, researchers are expanding the capabilities of 3D printing in industrial and scientific contexts. The integration of multi-material printing into metal additive manufacturing represents a step forward in the field. It enables new design possibilities and could lead to the development of advanced components for specialized applications.
The setup allows researchers to deposit different powders from three separate drums within a single layer. This capability is linked to future plasma-facing components for fusion energy and aerospace propulsion. Combining several metals in one printed part could allow a component to withstand heat or wear in one area while transferring heat or providing structural support in another. The new equipment offers a way to test how such parts can be designed and produced with metal additive manufacturing (metal AM).
Funding and Collaboration for Advanced Research
The hardware is a Schaeffler Aerosint SPD2.1-B5 recoater, now integrated into the university’s Aconity MIDI+ printer. Funding came through AM4Plasma, a EUREKA Network project coordinated by the University of Turku and supported in Finland through Business Finland’s CoInnovation program. In conventional single-material laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), a recoater spreads one powder across the build area and a laser melts it according to a digital design, building the part layer by layer. The Aerosint unit uses three separate powder-delivery drums to lay down different powders in selected areas of a layer before laser processing.
Repeating this process across successive layers makes it possible to produce parts in which the material changes by location. “Multi-material manufacturing allows us to ask which material is needed in each region of a component and how those materials can work together. This infrastructure gives us a platform to investigate those questions, develop our expertise, and explore new applications with industrial partners,” said Associate Professor Ashish Ganvir, principal investigator of AM4Plasma, a project developing new plasma generator hardware. Placing several powders side by side raises questions about how each one reacts to the laser, whether dependable bonds can form between neighboring materials, and how a given arrangement of materials affects whether a part can be manufactured.
Research areas include laser and material interaction, melting and solidification, bonding at material boundaries, cracking and other defects, and the link between processing conditions and local properties. The university notes that selective powder deposition does not by itself yield a reliable multi-material part. Compatible material pairings, suitable process settings, and sound interfaces are also needed, and defining those relationships will be central to the research. As an example, the university describes a component with one region designed to tolerate intense thermal exposure and another that conducts heat toward cooling channels.
Potential Applications in Aerospace and Fusion
Plasma-facing parts of this kind could be used in future fusion energy and aerospace propulsion systems. AM4Plasma provides an initial application for the equipment, focusing on multi-material components for plasma generator technology. “The infrastructure’s longer-term significance extends beyond this application. It provides a platform for future studies of material combinations, manufacturing processes and multifunctional component design,” said Ganvir. The system will also be used for researcher training. Getting Dissimilar Metals to Bond in Multi-Material Powder Bed Fusion.
The University of Turku can now place different powders within a layer, but the university says the metal pairings, process settings and interface conditions needed for a sound part still have to be established. Two recent efforts using multi-metal LPBF have tackled that question. At the University of Nottingham’s Centre for Additive Manufacturing (CfAM), researchers studied interfaces between IN718 and GRCop-42, a copper alloy developed by NASA, for parts such as rocket combustion chambers. They used an Aconity MIDI+ printer with a Schaeffler Aerosint recoater, a hardware pairing comparable to Turku’s.
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