Three ways to make production more sustainable with 3D printing

Sustainability is definitely on the agenda for major OEMs. The rest of the manufacturing industry will also have to deal with this. 3D printing contributes to more sustainable production, for example through less transport, less material waste and lighter constructions.

The 4th Industrial Revolution is not just about new production technologies. It is also about how the manufacturing industry can contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable world and to tackling climate change. According to it, 3D printing is a manufacturing technology that does not require any tooling World Economic Forum one of the solutions that allows the industry to become greener.

Lighter constructions

When a part is 3D printed, material is only used in those places where it is necessary. And because additive manufacturing offers a lot of design freedom and organic shapes are printed just as easily as prismatic ones, parts can be optimized in terms of topology. Minimal material is used, but the shape makes the part strong enough to withstand all loads. Design algorithms in the generation design software automatically generate the correct, organic shape. In practice, this often results in weight savings of more than 50%. Depending on the application, this means, for example, less energy consumption or higher dynamic properties. Or, in the case of a robot gripper, a higher net available lifting capacity of a robot. Because less material is required, 3D printing is usually faster and the production of such an optimized part is cheaper.

No more supplies

Many production techniques, such as CNC milling or injection molding, are only economically interesting if a minimum number of products is ordered. For injection molding, otherwise the costs of the mold would weigh too heavily in the unit price. For CNC milling and turning, the setup costs must be paid first. 3D printing, such as with the plastic printers from the Fortus series from Stratasys , is a tool-less technology. Producing single pieces or very small batches is one of the advantages. This practically means that machine builders can reduce stocks of parts because they are printed on-demand, for example in PA11 on the Stratasys SAF H350 powder bed printer . Apart from the savings on stocks, this also means that no material is wasted because too many parts were ultimately ordered because a minimum order quantity had been defined. This means that material waste is completely avoided.

Without transport

Over the past two years, many manufacturing companies have faced disruptions to their supply chains. When parts come from Asia because of low labor costs, they suddenly become a lot more expensive due to the sharp increase in transport costs. Transporting all those goods also makes a significant contribution to CO2 emissions. According to CBS in the Netherlands alone, the transport sector accounting for 12.8 percent of the country's total CO2 emissions. And then the contribution from international transport has not yet been calculated. 3D printing means local production. With DLP technology from Stratasys Origin One they quickly 3D print the parts needed locally in exactly the right quantity. The proprietary P3 technology for the photopolymerization of resin ensures short printing times and high surface qualities and isotropic properties. Local, close to where the parts are needed, without transport and without having to stock shelves full of them. Can it be greener?

Curious how sustainability in your company can be increased with 3D printing?

Please contact one of our sales advisors.