On October 4, 2026, Bioon reported on a study published in the Journal of Materials Research and Technology (JMRT): Using commercial AA1100 aluminum powder as the matrix and WC powder as the hard reinforcing phase (15 vol.%), Al-WC composite powders were prepared via mechanical alloying. Through closed-loop recycling and raw material optimization, a 100% powder recovery rate (zero loss) was achieved. In terms of mechanism, the study elucidated the competitive evolution of cold welding and fracturing during ball milling: cold welding/agglomeration dominated at 30 minutes, work hardening drove fracturing to prevail after 60 minutes, and cold welding intensified again at 90 minutes. Surfactant (stearic acid 0.125–1.5 wt.%) concentration, ball milling interval time, and ball size significantly affected composite particle morphology and recovery rate. Adhesion loss caused by aluminum powder ductility was the main source of loss. The new route yielded dual-purpose powder fractions—feedstock for high-temperature thermal spraying (plasma spraying, 30–90 μm) and low-temperature cold spraying (15–45 μm). WC was uniformly dispersed in the aluminum matrix, with near-spherical morphology, stable aerodynamic behavior, and uniform thermal response. The study proposed a scalable powder engineering route with potential applications extending to additive manufacturing, powder metallurgy, aerospace, automotive, oil and gas, and defense sectors. Value for powder buyers: ① The zero-loss route for mechanically alloyed composite powders can reduce manufacturing costs and batch losses for wear-resistant coating powders (aluminum-based WC); ② The dual particle size feedstock solution for thermal/cold spray composite powders provides direct selection reference for coating service providers; ③ If this powder engineering route is extended to additive manufacturing feedstock, supply chain costs for aluminum-based composite powders are expected to further decrease.