At Technocité, Kometa Technologies looks at using recycled copper

With its project for manufacturing parts out of recycled copper using cold spray technology, Kometa Technologies is one of three winners of the Innovation Workshop call for proposals organised by the Basque Country Urban Authority.

“Endless Copper is an innovative internal project using cold spray technology. I use copper powder supplied by the company Bigarren Bizi, which has developed a technique of crushing circuit boards and extracting the useful materials” explains Vincent Perin, Manager of Kometa Technologies. “The Endless Copper project aims to process this powder to be used as a cold spray: a cold metal coating process in which metal powders are projected at a very high speed onto a new item or one to be repaired. “

Kometa Technologies, created in April 2018 at Technocité in Bayonne, has been established in a 100 m² workshop at the Addimadour technological platform. The company therefore benefits from the ecosystem of stakeholders at Technocité, the Basque Country Technology Park site dedicated to aerospace technology and advanced materials. 
Vincent Perin chose to specialise in cold spray technology and has acquired specific machines. Cold spray is an impact-based coating deposition technique (without powder fusion) at the crossroads between thermal projection and additive manufacturing technologies. This innovative process paves the way for many applications in repairs, maintenance and manufacture of mechanical sub-assemblies and parts. 

By using this recycled copper powder, Vincent Perin hopes to create a local circular economy for this material. The energy sector in particular will be a target. “We need to develop processes to enable the use of copper powder”, he insists. “In terms of technological maturity, we are at level 3 on the TRL (Technology Readiness Level) scale, which has 9 levels. In one year’s time we need to be able to give a demonstration. “ 

Like companies DAB Motors and Olaberria, also winners in the call for proposals, Kometa Technologies will receive a €30,000 grant from the Basque Country Urban Authority in order to develop its project. It will also receive support from ESTIA engineering school.

Website: kometa-technologies.com