Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
February 11, 2026
Scandium Canada Advances Al-Sc Alloys for 3D Printing and Aerospace
TLDR
- Scandium Canada's proprietary Al-Sc alloys offer a competitive edge by enabling stronger, crack-resistant materials for aerospace and defense applications, potentially capturing new market demand.
- Scandium Canada is developing Al-Sc alloy wires through CMQ prototyping, collaborating with Gränges for trials, and using NRC strategies to qualify materials for aerospace and defense sectors.
- These advanced Al-Sc alloys contribute to a greener economy by enabling lighter, longer-lasting materials that reduce environmental impact through improved manufacturing efficiency and durability.
- Scandium Canada's alloys solve micro-cracking in 3D printing, with prototypes using 30 tonnes of scandium oxide annually, protected by international patents filed in 2025.
Impact - Why it Matters
This news matters because it represents a significant step in materials science innovation with broad industrial implications. Scandium-enhanced aluminum alloys offer superior strength, lighter weight, and better performance in critical applications like aerospace, automotive, and defense. As industries increasingly adopt additive manufacturing (3D printing) for complex components, the ability to eliminate micro-cracking in high-strength aluminum alloys could revolutionize manufacturing processes, reduce material waste, and enable more durable, efficient products. For investors, Scandium Canada's progress toward commercializing these alloys could validate the economic viability of their Crater Lake mining project, potentially creating new supply chains for scandium—a rare earth element with growing strategic importance in advanced manufacturing and green technologies.
Summary
Scandium Canada Ltd., a public company trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol SCD, is making significant strides in commercializing its proprietary aluminum-scandium (Al-Sc) alloys through its Scandium+ division. The company has commissioned the Centre de Metallurgie du Quebec (CMQ) to produce wire prototypes for welding and Wire Additive Advanced Manufacturing (WAAM) trials, with completion expected by March 2026 and subsequent third-party testing to follow. This initiative, supported by grants from the CQRDA, could generate demand for up to 30 tonnes annually of scandium oxide, tapping into a previously non-existent market segment. The company is also collaborating with Gränges Powder Metallurgy (GPM), a subsidiary of the global aluminum technology firm Gränges, to trial its modified AA535 and AA7075 alloys in GPM's product offerings for additive manufacturing.
Further advancing its technological edge, Scandium Canada has received a technical report from the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) through the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP), identifying materials qualification strategies for applications in space, aerospace, and defense sectors. The company's alloys, developed in collaboration with McMaster University, are protected by an international patent application filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), with intellectual property wholly owned by Scandium Canada. Technical highlights from September 2025 show that these alloys address key challenges in metal 3D printing, such as eliminating micro-cracking in high-strength aluminum alloys during laser powder-bed fusion (L-PBF) processing, while offering reduced scandium content, high tensile strengths, and minimized defect density.
Scandium Canada is actively expanding its commercial outreach to industrial end users across aerospace, automotive, advanced manufacturing, and 3D printing sectors, building on a Productique Quebec report that identified 13 target applications. Dr. Luc Duchesne, Head of the Scandium+ division, emphasized the company's role as a catalyst for the scandium industry, while CEO Guy Bourassa highlighted the importance of commercial acceptance for supporting the financial model of the Crater Lake project's pre-feasibility study due in June 2026. The original release can be viewed on www.newmediawire.com, where the company provides updates on its scandium activities and alloy development.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content disributed by NewMediaWire. Read the original source here, Scandium Canada Advances Al-Sc Alloys for 3D Printing and Aerospace
