In a lab in Lancashire, engineers are doing something that sounds almost poetic: turning pieces of retired fighter jets into raw material for the next generation of aircraft.British company Additive Manufacturing Solutions (AMS) has found a way to recycle old titanium components from decommissioned aircraft and transform them into fresh powder for 3D printing.The result is a circular system where the metal from yesterday’s aircraft becomes the feedstock for tomorrow’s.
The initiative comes as the UK government places renewed focus on reindustrialization.Under the country’s new Modern Industrial Strategy, announced in 2025, advanced manufacturing (including aerospace and 3D printing) has been identified as a national growth priority.The plan aims to nearly double annual investment in the sector, from roughly £21 billion ($28 billion) to £39 billion ($52 billion) by 2035, strengthening domestic supply chains and reducing dependence on imported materials.
The Titanium Problem Titanium has long been one of aerospace’s favorite materials.It’s light, strong, and can withstand extreme heat.From jet engines to spacecraft, it’s everywhere — and expensive.
The standard flow of titanium from source to end-of-life globally.Image courtesy of AMS.Yet, most of the titanium supply in the UK and Europe still comes from abroad.
For decades, countries like Russia and Ukraine have dominated the market.But with supply chains intimidated by Brexit, the war in Ukraine, and geopolitical tensions, that once-constant flow of titanium is no longer guaranteed.“It’s a massive vulnerability,” AMS founder Zsolt Szekretar explained.
“If supply is disrupted – due to geopolitical events, tariffs, or cyber threats – there is currently no Plan B.That warning aligns with the UK Ministry of Defence‘s (MoD) new Defence Advanced Manufacturing Strategy, released in March 2025, which calls for greater self-sufficiency through additive manufacturing, digital design, and rapid repair capabilities.The standard flow of titanium from source to end-of-life in the UK and Ireland.
Imgae courtesy of AMS.In the U.S., the Department of Defense (DoD) has already acted, investing millions to secure a domestic titanium supply chain.The UK, however, has largely lacked such efforts until now.
Macro analyst Matt Kremenetsky at 3DPrint.com has closely followed U.S.titanium and critical materials policy, noting that recent DoD contracts highlight the urgency to establish a fully domestic titanium supply chain.He points out that the U.S.
currently imports about 90% of the titanium it uses, including 100% of its titanium sponge, the main raw material for titanium products.Kremenetsky also says that the challenge is not only securing raw material, but also rebuilding the nation’s capacity to process, refine, and produce aerospace-grade titanium powders for advanced manufacturing.The standard flow of titanium from source to end-of-life in the U.S.
Image courtesy of AMS.From Scrap to Powder Founded in 2017, AMS set out to make the UK more self-reliant in metal 3D printing.Titanium powder used in additive manufacturing is notoriously expensive, ranging from $150 to $275 per kilogram, and has long lead times that slow production.
With support from Innovate UK, AMS developed a process it calls R², short for “recycle and reuse.” The idea is elegantly simple: take old titanium aircraft parts, melt them down, and atomize the metal into a fine powder that can be reused in 3D printing.Two atomization methods are used: plasma ultrasonic and gas atomization, both producing perfectly round powder grains small enough for high-precision printing.That powder can then be used in electron beam or laser 3D printers to create new aerospace components.
Breathing New Life Into Scrap The breakthrough came when the MoD and Royal Air Force (RAF) joined forces with AMS to launch the Tornado 2 Tempest project.Using AMS’s R² process, titanium compressor blades and other parts from retired Tornado GR4 fighter jets were cleaned, melted, and atomized into fresh titanium powder.That recycled material was then used to 3D print new components for Rolls-Royce’s Orpheus engine, a demonstrator for the UK’s next-generation Tempest fighter jet, which is planned to enter service by 2035.
For the first time, the MoD had adopted a closed-loop titanium recycling system at scale, a move that not only proved the process works but also supports the UK’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a major defense program developing the next generation of sustainable, digitally-engineered combat aircraft, alongside industry partners like BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Leonardo, and MBDA.The project cuts costs and waste while giving the UK tighter control over critical materials.And it is now evolving under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a trilateral partnership between the UK, Italy, and Japan to co-develop a new fighter platform that builds on Tempest’s technology.
The Tornado 2 Tempest work feeds directly into this broader effort, linking sustainability with advanced defense innovation.Titanium recycling is a bit complex.The metal absorbs oxygen easily, and even a little contamination can make it unusable for aerospace parts.
AMS solved that challenge by controlling every step of the process, from cleaning to atomizing, ensuring full traceability.To track every batch, AMS uses a Digital Product Passport, which records the entire material journey — from the original Tornado part to the 3D printed component.This not only helps with certification but also provides a defense against counterfeiting.
“When people ask, ‘Is recycled powder really viable for critical parts?’ our answer is yes — if you can control every variable and prove it,” says Szekretar.A Circular Future for Defense According to AMS, recycling titanium through its R² process cuts embedded carbon emissions by up to 93% compared to using newly mined material.With titanium being both energy-intensive and geographically sensitive to source, the savings are substantial, both environmentally and strategically.
The UK’s MoD sees it as more than a sustainability win.It’s also a sovereignty move — keeping vital materials, skills, and manufacturing capacity within national borders.AMS estimates that between defense surplus and end-of-life assets, Europe could already hold 20 to 30 years’ worth of recyclable titanium, enough to sustain its entire 3D printing powder market.
AMS process.Image courtesy of AMS.The Tornado 2 Tempest initiative marks a milestone not just for AMS, but for metal additive manufacturing as a whole.
It demonstrates that recycled powder can meet aerospace standards, that the circular economy works, and that the UK can begin to close its own titanium loop.Still, the road to full certification remains steep.Every new material, process, and part must pass layers of testing before being cleared for flight.
But AMS is building the data — and the confidence — needed to make that happen.With one 3D printed nose cone already certified, AMS is now expanding into other alloys like Inconel, used in engines and turbines, and exploring mobile recycling systems that could one day process materials directly on-site.In the end, the metal that once powered Tornado missions now feeds the engines of Britain’s next-generation Tempest.
In the right hands, even scrap can fly again.Subscribe to Our Email Newsletter Stay up-to-date on all the latest news from the 3D printing industry and receive information and offers from third party vendors.Print Services Upload your 3D Models and get them printed quickly and efficiently.
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