Wei Leong Kean, Abd Rahim Shayfull Zamree, Al Bakri Abdullah Mohd Mustafa, Yin Allice Tan Mun, Ghazali Mohd Fathullah, Omar Mohd Firdaus, Nemeș Ovidiu, Sandu Andrei Victor, Vizureanu Petrica, Abdellah Abdellah El-Hadj
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering & Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Arau 02600, Malaysia.
Center of Excellence Geopolymer and Green Technology (CEGeoGTech), Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Kangar 01000, Malaysia.
Materials (Basel). 2023 Jun 27;16(13):4635. doi: 10.3390/ma16134635.
In the pursuit of achieving zero emissions, exploring the concept of recycling metal waste from industries and workshops (i.e., waste-free) is essential. This is because metal recycling not only helps conserve natural resources but also requires less energy as compared to the production of new products from virgin raw materials. The use of metal scrap in rapid tooling (RT) for injection molding is an interesting and viable approach. Recycling methods enable the recovery of valuable metal powders from various sources, such as electronic, industrial, and automobile scrap. Mechanical alloying is a potential opportunity for sustainable powder production as it has the capability to convert various starting materials with different initial sizes into powder particles through the ball milling process. Nevertheless, parameter factors, such as the type of ball milling, ball-to-powder ratio (BPR), rotation speed, grinding period, size and shape of the milling media, and process control agent (PCA), can influence the quality and characteristics of the metal powders produced. Despite potential drawbacks and environmental impacts, this process can still be a valuable method for recycling metals into powders. Further research is required to optimize the process. Furthermore, ball milling has been widely used in various industries, including recycling and metal mold production, to improve product properties in an environmentally friendly way. This review found that ball milling is the best tool for reducing the particle size of recycled metal chips and creating new metal powders to enhance mechanical properties and novelty for mold additive manufacturing (MAM) applications. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct further research on various parameters associated with ball milling to optimize the process of converting recycled copper chips into powder. This research will assist in attaining the highest level of efficiency and effectiveness in particle size reduction and powder quality. Lastly, this review also presents potential avenues for future research by exploring the application of RT in the ball milling technique.
在追求实现零排放的过程中，探索从工业和车间回收金属废料（即无废料）的概念至关重要。这是因为金属回收不仅有助于保护自然资源，而且与使用原始原材料生产新产品相比，所需能源更少。在注塑成型的快速模具制造（RT）中使用金属废料是一种有趣且可行的方法。回收方法能够从各种来源回收有价值的金属粉末，如电子、工业和汽车废料。机械合金化是可持续粉末生产的一个潜在机会，因为它有能力通过球磨工艺将各种初始尺寸不同的原材料转化为粉末颗粒。然而，诸如球磨类型、球粉比（BPR）、转速、研磨时间、研磨介质的尺寸和形状以及过程控制剂（PCA）等参数因素会影响所生产金属粉末的质量和特性。尽管存在潜在缺点和环境影响，但该过程仍然可以是将金属回收为粉末的一种有价值的方法。需要进一步研究以优化该过程。此外，球磨已广泛应用于包括回收和金属模具生产在内的各种行业，以环保方式改善产品性能。本综述发现，球磨是减小回收金属芯片粒度并制造新的金属粉末以增强模具增材制造（MAM）应用的机械性能和新颖性的最佳工具。因此，有必要对与球磨相关的各种参数进行进一步研究，以优化将回收铜芯片转化为粉末的过程。这项研究将有助于在粒度减小和粉末质量方面实现最高水平的效率和效果。最后，本综述还通过探索RT在球磨技术中的应用，提出了未来研究的潜在途径。
