FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHINGTON, CT – REM Surface Engineering is proud to announce that its Selective Chemical Declogging (SCD) process has been named a 2026 EPMA Powder Metallurgy Innovation Award winner by the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA).
The EPMA Powder Metallurgy Innovation Awards recognize significant achievements in innovation and commercialization across the powder metallurgy value chain. The 2026 awards expanded beyond the former Component Award to recognize a broader range of technological advancements, including innovative processes, materials, equipment and solutions.
REM’s award-winning Selective Chemical Declogging process addresses a critical post-processing challenge in metal additive manufacturing: the removal of residual powder trapped within complex internal passages.
As powder-based additive manufacturing enables increasingly complex component geometries, removing residual powder from internal passages has become a critical post-processing challenge. Conventional methods such as air blasting, mechanical cleaning and ultrasonic techniques can be limited when powder is trapped deep within enclosed or non-line-of-sight channels. REM’s Selective Chemical Declogging (SCD) process provides a targeted solution, using proprietary chemistry to selectively remove unfused and loosely sintered powder while preserving the consolidated metal substrate.
The process enables reliable powder removal from highly complex internal geometries, including heat exchangers, manifolds, cooling channels and other intricate flow paths. By addressing powder trapped in areas that can be difficult or impossible to access with conventional methods, SCD helps manufacturers realize more complex designs while supporting the production of functional, high-performance components.
“The fundamental challenge with SCD was developing chemistry that could distinguish between unfused powder and consolidated metal substrate, even when they have the same alloy composition. Their different metallurgical structures and surface characteristics create differences in chemical reactivity, allowing us to develop chemistries that preferentially attack the powder while minimizing reaction with the consolidated metal. That selective reactivity is the foundation of SCD and enables powder removal from internal geometries that were previously extremely difficult, or in some cases impossible, to clean,” said Joshua Boykin, PhD, Senior Research Chemist at REM Surface Engineering.
REM has demonstrated SCD on complex additively manufactured components, including intricate heat exchanger structures. Analytical techniques such as X-ray computed tomography (CT) have been used to verify powder removal and component integrity.
With the technology currently operating at TRL 8–9, SCD has progressed beyond development and into industrial production environments, including applications within facilities operated by the United States Air Force.
The EPMA recognition highlights the role of advanced post-processing in overcoming manufacturing challenges associated with increasingly complex powder-based components. By providing a scalable approach to removing residual powder from intricate internal structures, REM’s SCD process helps expand the practical design freedom available to metal additive manufacturing.
The 2026 EPMA Powder Metallurgy Innovation Award winners will be featured during the PM Forum on Tuesday, October 13, from 10:40 a.m. to 12:10 p.m., where category winners will present their award-winning innovations.
For more information about REM Surface Engineering and Selective Chemical Declogging, visit remchem.com.
About REM Surface Engineering
REM Surface Engineering, the inventor of the ISF® Process, Rapid ISF® Process, Extreme ISF® Process, and the REM® Process, is a global leader in surface engineering solutions. REM’s isotropic superfinishing technologies provide value-added, performance-enhancing improvements to conventional machining operations such as grinding and lapping.
Founded in 1965 in Southington, Connecticut by Robert Michaud, REM Surface Engineering is a family-owned company that has proudly served its partners and customers for over 60 years. The company operates four locations in Brenham, TX; Southington, CT; Merrillville, IN; and Willich, Germany, delivering products and services to customers worldwide.
Media Contact: Christina Michaud