Light, abundant, non-flammable and reasonably priced, aluminium and its alloys posit an interesting structural material for mass-market applications in the transportation sector. Moreover, being a metal with relatively low melting point, aluminium is readily recyclable.

However, establishing an aluminium-based circular economy use case finds a limitation: even when theoretically recyclable, production of high-performance alloys with intensive use of scrap results in imbalanced alloying, leading to detrimental effects on material properties. Formability, one of the key aspects in sheet metal, is one of them.

The current work analyzes the impact that intensive recycling can have on sheet metal formability for a 6XXX alloy. This is discussed through the comparison of common material properties as well as FLD diagrams, corresponding to material with different amounts of recycling and its corresponding drift in alloying elements.

Moreover, hot forming is explored as a strategy to use highly recycled material even in the cases where alloy composition results in reduced formability. Forming at elevated temperatures increases forming limits well beyond room temperature values, a strategy used in hot stamping of steel that can be readily transferred to 6XXX alloys.

The results of this paper contribute to shape a circular economy model for aluminium alloys, demonstrating the current potentials and limitations applied to a mass market automotive use case.