Printable, super-strong aluminium alloy
A new 3D-printed aluminium alloy is stronger than traditional aluminium, thanks to a key recipe that, after printing, produces aluminium (brown) with nanometer-scale precipitates (light blue). The precipitates are arranged in regular nanoscale patterns (blue and green in the circular inset) that are responsible for the alloy’s exceptional strength. (Illustration: Felice Frankel, MIT)
October 7, 2025 – Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a new method for 3D printing aluminium alloys with exceptional strength. By combining machine learning with physical models, melt pools and crystal formation could be precisely controlled, preventing defects that normally reduce performance. The result is aluminium that is stronger than conventional material, without expensive post-processing. According to MIT, the process could enable lighter parts in aerospace, automotive, and mechanical engineering—sectors where weight and cost are important.
The research was published on October 2 in Advanced Materials under the title “Additively Manufacturable High-Strength Aluminium Alloys with Coarsening-Resistant Microstructures Achieved via Rapid Solidification.”
