Continuum Powders has spent over a decade working on a bold idea: why mine new metal when high-quality material is already flowing through today’s factories as scrap? Now, thanks to a major collaboration with Siemens Energy, that vision is becoming a sign that some of the world’s biggest companies are beginning to bet on circular manufacturing.Siemens needed a better way to source metal powders for its growing additive manufacturing (AM) operations, something that could offer reliability, sustainability, and insulation from the risks of global supply chains.Continuum delivered a solution: a circular system that takes aerospace-grade scrap, recycles it, and turns it into high-quality powder for 3D printing.
“At Continuum, we recycle titanium, nickel, steel and custom alloys from top-tier sources—like Industrial Gas Turbine (IGT) fan blades—and turn them into powder,” said Rob Higby, CEO of Continuum Powders.“We’re not just avoiding mines in Ukraine or China—we’re starting with higher quality feedstock.Continuum’s work with Siemens started as a way to solve a materials challenge, and quickly turned into a fully local, circular supply chain.
That scrap is processed in our Houston, TX facility — supporting American manufacturing.” Continuum Powders CEO Rob Higby.The idea that “scrap isn’t waste, but potential” has become the core of Continuum’s business.And Siemens isn’t just a customer.
It’s the first of what Continuum hopes will be many companies to shift toward this model, which has many benefits.It avoids tariffs, offers price predictability, lowers carbon emissions, and most importantly, it delivers consistent, high-quality powders.“We’re hitting every point a buyer cares about: quality, availability, price, and sustainability,” Higby told 3DPrint.com.
“Most companies are lucky if they get one or two of those.We’re leading in all four.Most importantly, we are not importing material, so availability isn’t tied to tariffs or global trade issues.
And instead of paying for mined metals, we’re turning scrap into powder to offer better pricing and cut the carbon footprint by over 99% in some cases.” Circular from the Start At the heart of Continuum’s operation is a circular solution that starts with used parts—everything from impellers to titanium shavings from machining—and ends with fresh, additive-ready powder.“Metal doesn’t lose its chemistry.It just changes form.
So if you start with high-quality scrap, clean it properly, and re-atomize it, you’re getting powder that’s as good, or better, than anything mined.” Continuum has built a network of processing partners across the U.S.to handle all kinds of scrap metal, from failed builds and build plates to machine chips, coated parts, and even field-used components like build plates and shrouded impellers.If the chemistry matches, Continuum says it can take it.
Premium metal powders.Higby explained that they work with scrap dealers like August Metals, Globe Metals, California Metals, and Phoenix Turbine Flame Spray.These partners help with early-stage processing, like removing coatings or preparing parts using techniques like hydrochloric acid etching, to make sure the feedstock meets the highest quality standards.
From there, Continuum takes the material to its foundry in Houston, where it’s melted down and reatomized, turning solid metal back into powder, ready for 3D printing.And the process is repeatable.The powder produced from a recycled fan blade can be used in 3D printing, and once it’s done, Continuum can recover unused powder or worn-out parts and start the cycle again.
“Every step of the way, we’re adding value and reducing waste,” explained Higby.A Business Model Built for Today’s Challenges What has helped Continuum stand out in today’s climate is how its model naturally shields customers from disruption.In a world of trade tensions, tariffs, and environmental regulations, Continuum’s local, circular system acts like a cushion.
Higby says, “When you source locally, you’re not depending on unstable trade routes; when you use recycled feedstock, you’re not at the mercy of global metal indexes.You get pricing you can actually plan around.” That kind of resilience, he says, is winning over big industrial customers, and not just because it’s green, but because it works.The company’s flagship facility in Houston handles most of the global production, while its California site focuses on R&D and titanium, and its Singapore office supports international contracts.
Continuum is also ready to scale globally with a foundry that fits inside a shipping container.Higby explained that they can deploy a foundry anywhere in the world because it’s fully modular, with all the pipes and components designed to be disassembled, packed into the container, and reassembled on site.“All it needs is power and gas, making it ideal for remote regions or international partners looking to establish a local powder production hub without major infrastructure,” Higby noted.
“India, for example, generates a lot of titanium waste but faces major challenges when it comes to mining and processing it locally.To solve that issue, we could build a local atomizing hub and tap into that material.” A Shift in Manufacturing Culture One of the more compelling aspects of the Siemens partnership is how Continuum has helped the industrial giant think differently about scrap.Instead of paying to discard used parts, Siemens can now recycle them into feedstock for its own AM machines.
“We’re talking about a cultural shift.A repair technician might not know anything about powder, but suddenly his job includes contributing to a closed-loop materials system.What was considered scrap is now part of a valuable internal supply chain.
It connects the dots across a company in a way that traditional casting or forging just can’t.” Continuum calls this its “melt-to-powder” approach, or M2P.It’s a managed service model whereby customers “don’t buy machines, they buy results.” Continuum processes the scrap, atomizes it, and delivers powder, often using the customer’s own material as the source.“It’s like the Uber of metal powders,” Higby added.
“Clean, reliable, high-quality.We’ve improved an outdated model, and once you experience it, you don’t go back.” The Greyhound 3.0 powder production system.For the near future, Continuum has its sights set on more than nickel and titanium.
The company is ramping up production of cobalt chrome and copper alloys, and continues to grow its list of materials each quarter.To date, it has worked with over 35 alloys.Continuum is also exploring ways to vertically integrate its supply chain, expand its U.S.
footprint, and build global partnerships in regions where mining is not an option, but there is a lot of scrap.Countries like Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) fit that model well, since they have limited metal extraction capabilities.Meanwhile, industrial powerhouses like South Korea and Japan face tight environmental restrictions on mining but produce high-quality scrap.
Now that Siemens is working with Continuum, more companies are reaching out, from defense contractors to energy giants.The U.S.government’s push to use locally made materials is also helping drive demand for Continuum’s made-in-America approach.
Still, Higby says the story isn’t about policy, but about a business model that just works: “We didn’t build this company to react to tariffs or supply chain chaos.We built it to offer a better way to make powder.And now, the world’s realizing that’s exactly what it needs.” Images courtesy of Continuum Powders 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.
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