Liberty, part of the GFG Alliance of industrial companies, has begun construction of a powder metals development facility on Teesside that will expand the group’s reach in specialist metals and into the developing market of materials for 3-D printing.

Representatives of Liberty Powder Metals, Atomising Systems Ltd (ASL) and Stockton-based K-Home International recently joined the Mayor of the Tees Valley, Ben Houchen, to celebrate the milestone at the research and innovation campus of the Materials Processing Institute (MPI), where the new facility will be based.

An initial £10 million is being invested to set up the Liberty Powder Metals business, including a ‘state of the art’ vacuum induction inert-gas atomiser.

This will allow Liberty to develop a new generation of powdered steels that can overcome the traditional barriers to 3-D printing and enhance the group’s position in the supply chain for precision steel components used in advanced sectors such as aerospace, automotive, energy and specialist industrial equipment.

Simon Pike, general manager of Liberty Powder Metals (www.libertyhousegroup.com), said: “We are grateful to our partners for the work they have done to reach this stage.

"Finance from Tees Valley Combined Authority has been critical in making the project a reality, and I look forward to continuing all our partnerships to make Teesside a world-leading centre of expertise for powder metal production.”