Hachinohe metal powder plant will recycle scrap into high grade powders

Epson Atmix Corporation, a group company of Seiko Epson Corporation, announced on earlier this month the completion of its new metal refining factory in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture. The facility, which begins operations this month, will recycle unwanted metal from within the Epson group and turn it into raw material for the company’s metal powder products.

The plant is part of parent company Seiko Epson’s “Environmental Vision 2050,” which aims to achieve “carbon minus” and “zero underground resource consumption” by 2050 to for a sustainable society. By replacing virgin raw materials, such as blast furnace pure iron, with recycled metal, the company will reduce its CO2 emissions and conserve finite underground resources.

The new Kita-Inter No. 2 Plant, built with an investment of approximately 5.5 billion yen, will process various forms of metal waste. This includes off-spec metal powder products, metal scraps from factory processes, and used moulds from across the Epson group. These materials will be refined into high-quality raw material at the new facility.

This recycled material will then be used at Epson Atmix’s other plants to produce fine metal powders, essential components in the company’s products made through metal injection moulding (MIM), contributing to the creation of next-generation devices. The initiative also mitigates business risks associated with the potential for future shortages and price increases of virgin metals.

The factory incorporates advanced automation and labour-saving technologies, including robotic systems for dross removal and automated processes for raw material input and quality sampling. The plant intends to use both renewable electricity and LNG to minimise its operational footprint, while establishing a circulation for metal resource.