Sustainability
Additive manufacturing is inherently a means of production that could improve the sustainability of industries around the world. The very idea of producing by adding only the material needed, instead of removing material in excess, without the need of producing tools could be a game-changer for the global environment. If fewer materials are needed, less are wasted. Producing parts when they are needed, and where they are needed can go a long way reducing overall emissions from industrial production.
The match between AM and sustainability also goes beyond industrial production: the use of 3D printing in construction is emerging as a much more environment-friendly approach, both in terms of workflows and materials used. This has obvious repercussions in the housing industry but also in renewable energy production.
However, the road to making AM a truly sustainable means of production is a long one. Currently, many metal AM processes are high-energy-intensive, many polymers AM processes still waste a lot of – often toxic – materials and construction 3D printing processes are still in their infancy.
As the global economy undergoes a dramatic contraction, an opportunity emerges to further develop AM into a way to produce in a more efficient way: digital, on-demand, additive and distributed manufacturing is now a serious and credible option. It may be the only option to tackle – in one shot – all the social, economic, health and environmental challenges that lie ahead.
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Buttons are ubiquitous, and most won’t think twice about the small garment essentials. But today, most buttons are made from plastic and most are not recycled, which means that they to pose an environmental challenge. Thankfully, there is a group that is thinking about how to make buttons and plastic…
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As we have seen and will continue to explore in our AM Focus this month, there are many facets to the topic of Sustainability within additive manufacturing. On the one hand, additive manufacturing opens up opportunities for more sustainable processes in many industries through the production of design-optimized and lightweight…
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American architecture studio Hannah has built an eco-friendly off-the-grid cabin in Upstate New York using a combination of 3D printed concrete and infested ash wood. The small structure, called Ashen Cabin, demonstrates the potential of using both types of materials to produce sustainable structures. Some of the most compelling examples…
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As additive manufacturing technology has developed rapidly over the last decades, it has shown great potential for environmental sustainability. The benefits offered through reduced material waste, supply chain innovations and the use of recycled plastics and metals in materials can all position AM as a sustainable production solution for companies.…
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Tune in Thursday, May 14, at 8:00 p.m. EDT for a live Q&A with Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator, Department of Architecture and Design, and Director, Research and Development; and designer, artist, and professor Neri Oxman, about the exhibition Neri Oxman: Material Ecology, as part of MOMA’s Virtual Views initiative. From…
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Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are refining their design of a 3D printed nuclear reactor core, scaling up the additive manufacturing process necessary to build it, and developing methods to confirm the consistency and reliability of its printed components. The use of 3D printing in…
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We’ve seen several projects initiated across the globe to 3D print coral-like structures to preserve threatened underwater ecosystems. In most, the artificial coral reefs are designed to encourage the growth of natural coral and provide shelter to many of the underwater species that live in the delicate environment. A recent…
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A significant milestone for additive manufacturing has been achieved in the nuclear industry: a first-of-its-kind 3D printed component has successfully been installed into a commercial nuclear reactor. The part, a 3D printed thimble plugging device, was installed by nuclear energy company Westinghouse Electric Company at Exelon’s Byron Unit 1 nuclear…
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Purdue University engineers are conducting research on a way to make wind turbine parts out of 3D printed concrete, a less expensive material that would also allow parts to float to a site from an onshore plant. The researchers are working in collaboration with RCAM Technologies, a startup founded to…
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In nature, biological materials and organisms are part of a circular process of production and degradation. This process sustains the Earth and living things on it. Humans, however, have introduced new materials and products which do not fit into the circular economy, resulting in waste, which—as we all know—is detrimental…
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