Epson Atmix Corporation, a group company of Seiko Epson Corporation based in Aomori, Japan, has completed construction of a new $38 million metal recycling facility at Kita-Inter Plant No. 2. The new center will recycle used metals from the Epson Group’s operations and the local community to produce raw materials for Atmix’s metal powder products.
Atmix produces a range of metal powders for a variety of manufacturing processes, including metal injection molding and additive manufacturing. The company also produces magnetic powders for use in power supply circuits, in coils for electronic equipment, also for hybrid and electric vehicles.
The plant will recycle out-of-specification metal powders, metal scraps from Atmix’s own production processes, and used molds and metal offcuts from Epson Group operations. The materials will be refined into high-quality raw materials, which will then be used at Atmix’s headquarters and Kita-Inter Plant to produce metal powders suitable for metal injection molding.
Epson has committed to developing environmental technologies that support resource circulation and carbon reduction, particularly through materials innovation. Its Environmental Vision 2050 outlines the company’s goal of becoming carbon negative and underground resource-free by 2050. Kita-Inter Plant No. 2 is expected to play a key role in advancing this goal.
Atmix began reusing silicon wafers from Epson’s semiconductor operations as raw materials in 2020. With the increasing risk of resource depletion and rising costs of virgin materials, the new plant is designed to establish a stable supply of recycled metal powders. Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of more than JPY 1 trillion. See www.atmix.co.jp.
