GEAR-UP: Advancing Circular Additive Manufacturing in Europe

The GEAR-UP project, funded by the Horizon Europe programme, aims to transform manufacturing by combining circular economy principles with advanced additive manufacturing technologies.  

The project focuses on additive manufacturing (AM) using recycled materials such as stainless steel, aluminium alloys, and fibre-reinforced plastics as feedstocks for 3D printing. By doing so, GEAR-UP aims to reduce the reliance on virgin raw materials while maintaining the high performance required by industrial applications. 

At the heart of the project is the ambition to transform industrial waste into a traceable, high-value manufacturing resource. From robotic grippers to hydropower turbine components, GEAR-UP demonstrates how recycled metals and polymers can be converted into reliable, high-performance products using advanced additive manufacturing technologies. 

By addressing one of the main barriers to circular manufacturing — the variability and quality of secondary materials — the project supports Europe’s transition towards a more resilient, resource-efficient and sustainable industrial ecosystem. 

Consortium partners bring together expertise in additive manufacturing, materials science, digital technologies, product and value chain sustainability analysis, and industrial applications. Their combined capabilities allow GEAR-UP to address the full circular manufacturing value chain from recycled feedstock development to digital traceability and industrial demonstration. 

To demonstrate the feasibility of circular additive manufacturing, GEAR-UP is developing three industrial use cases across different sectors.  

Robotic Grippers – Turning Recycled Aluminium into High-Performance  components

In traditional manufacturing, robotic grippers are usually made from metals like titanium or new aluminium. These materials are strong and reliable, but they come with significant drawbacks: titanium is expensive, energy-intensive to produce, and environmentally demanding, while producing new aluminium also consumes substantial resources and generates waste. GEAR-UP is taking a different, circular approach. The project uses recycled aluminium (AlSi10Mg) and laser-based powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) 3D printing to turn scrap metal into high-quality, industrial-grade components. The aluminium powder is melted layer by layer, with engineers carefully monitoring the process to ensure that each gripper is strong, precise, and durable. 

Recycled aluminium presents unique challenges. Engineers must manage particle size, impurities, and small variations in chemical composition, as these can affect the printing process and the performance of the final part. By optimizing these parameters, the GEAR-UP project develops aluminium grippers that maintain the strength and functionality required for industrial applications 

The advantages are clear: these grippers are lightweight, cost-efficient, and environmentally friendly, and their production generates less waste and consumes less energy than traditional methods. This use case demonstrates how circular manufacturing can transform scrap metals into valuable, high-performance products, offering a practical and sustainable alternative to conventional manufactuing. 

To ensure the quality of the recycled aluminium powder, the GEAR-UP project performed material characterization analyses. The images show the morphology and particle distribution of atomized AlSi10Mg powder (45–75 µm), analyzed by SEM and optical microscopy to confirm suitability for PBF-LB processes.  

2. Hydropower Turbines – Repairing and Rebuilding with Recycled Stainless Steel 

Maintaining hydropower turbines is complex and resource-intensive. In Europe — especially in countries like Norway, where hydropower is a key part of the energy system — the market for turbine maintenance and refurbishment is large and growing. Traditionally, damaged parts often lead to replacing entire units or sending components to workshops for welding, machining, and refurbishment. These processes use a lot of material, energy, and time, making them costly and environmentally demanding. GEAR-UP, in collaboration with Aker Solutions, is taking a circular approach. Using recycled stainless steel and laser-based directed energy deposition (DED), damaged Pelton turbine components can be rebuilt layer by layer the missing material on-site. This method extends turbine lifetimes while reducing material use by 50–80%, cutting waste and environmental impact. 

The project is also exploring automated robotic welding, this approach could improve repair quality, allow more material to be reused, and further lower the environmental footprint. If successful, these additive and automated techniques could be used not only for repairs but also for producing new components, including for offshore installations, where precision is critical and even small errors would otherwise require remaking an entire part. 

3. High-Performance Composites – Turning Recycled Textiles into Advanced Components for Electric Mobility 

Electric mobility components, like those in Vidde Mobility’s electric snowmobiles, are usually made from virgin plastics or composites. These materials are reliable but rely on new resources and often have a significant environmental impact. 

GEAR-UP is taking a circular approach. Partners CelluCircle and COLFEED4Print, two deep-tech start-ups spun off from public research institutions, are transforming recycled textiles and plastics into high-performance composite filaments. These filaments are reinforced with carbon fibers for strength, nanocellulose for durability, and titanium dioxide nanoparticles to give new functional properties, such as photocatalytic activity for potential water-cleaning applications.Using polymer extrusion, these filaments are turned into components like cogwheels for Vidde Mobility’s electric snowmobiles. The parts are lightweight, wear-resistant, and built to withstand extreme conditions — from freezing temperatures and moisture to UV exposure and abrasion — all while using materials that would otherwise go to waste. 

This use case demonstrates that even challenging recycled materials with high variability and complexity can be turned into industrial-grade, high-performance components. By combining circular materials, advanced manufacturing, and patented technologies, GEAR-UP shows that sustainable, resource-efficient production is not just an idea — it’s a practical solution for the next generation of electric mobility. 

Beyond technological innovation, GEAR-UP also focuses on strengthening the skills needed to support the transition towards circular manufacturing.The project will develop dedicated upskilling and reskilling activities aimed at engineers, technicians, and manufacturing professionals working with additive manufacturing and advanced materials. These courses will address key topics such as the use of recycled feedstocks in additive manufacturing, quality control of secondary materials, and digital tools for traceability and process optimisation. 

By equipping professionals with the knowledge required to work with circular production systems, GEAR-UP helps build a workforce capable of supporting Europe’s transition towards more sustainable and resource-efficient manufacturing practices. 

GEAR-UP shows that circular manufacturing can turn waste into high-performance, industrial-grade components: from recycled aluminium grippers to stainless steel turbines and textile-based mobility parts. By reducing material use, cutting waste, and lowering environmental impact, the project demonstrates a practical path toward sustainable, resource-efficient manufacturing. At the same time, through targeted upskilling and reskilling of engineers and professionals, it ensures that the workforce is equipped to adopt and implement these circular solutions, putting people at the center of the transition to a more sustainable industrial future. 

GEAR-UP is part of the EU Circularity Cluster, a group of flagship Horizon Europe projects working together to accelerate the transition towards circular manufacturing in Europe. Alongside its “sister projects”, GEAR-UP contributes to developing innovative solutions that reduce waste, optimise resource use, and make industrial production more sustainable. Each project within the cluster addresses a different aspect of circularity — from digital tools and AI for environmental assessment, to advanced recycling technologies, sustainable product design, and workforce training. Together, they form a coordinated effort to reshape European manufacturing into a more resilient, low-impact, and resource-efficient system. 

Within this cluster, several sister projects contribute complementary solutions: 

• CIRCMAN5.0 – focuses on circular design principles, promoting products that are easier to reuse, repair, and recycle. 

• ENCIRCLE – uses digital twins and AI to measure and reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing, while also supporting workforce training. 

• DIAMETER – develops AI-driven platforms and training tools to help manufacturers adopt circular production processes. 

• DIGI4CIRCULAR – creates digital workflows and tools to design more recyclable products, particularly in the automotive sector. 

• PSS-PASS – builds digital product passports to track materials and improve sustainability across product lifecycles. 

• RecAL – advances aluminium recycling through innovative technologies and traceability systems across the value chain. 

Together, these projects cover design, production, digitalisation, recycling, and skills — forming a coordinated effort to make European manufacturing more sustainable and resource-efficient.