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Is 3d printing environmentally friendly
How Does 3D-Printing Products Reduce Waste & Promote Sustainability?
3D printers don’t just make cool products—they can also make a positive impact on the planet by reducing waste. Here’s how.
There’s a lot of buzz surrounding 3D printers right now—and for good reason. After all, anyone with a dream and a design can use them to create something cool. But they’re especially attractive to manufacturers, who see them as a way to not only lower costs and speed up production but also meet their sustainability promises. But how does 3D-printing products reduce waste and help the environment, exactly? And does it really live up to the hype?
The possibilities certainly seem promising, in terms of how 3D-printed products are made and the ability to troubleshoot problems when creating prototypes. This technology will also play a significant role in the future of recycling and energy usage. And that’s just the beginning. Still, experts warn that there are some potential downsides to this burgeoning technology, which currently accounts for just around 1% of the global manufacturing market but is set to explode over the next seven years, going from $18 billion in 2022 to $83 billion by 2029.
Let’s take a closer look at exactly what 3D printing can do for the environment and what it can’t … at least not yet.
How 3D printing is good for the environment
It reduces waste
Traditional manufacturing often doesn’t use materials efficiently. The process is generally subtractive, meaning that you start with a large block of material, hack away at it to create a product and then throw away the waste. 3D printing, on the other hand, is an “additive” process, building a product layer by layer. The printer follows a computer-aided design (CAD), leaving hollow spaces in the middle or wherever else material isn’t needed. It uses only the exact amount needed in the exact way, so there’s no need to carve or trim excess materials. As a result, there are exponentially fewer scraps.
According to experts, 3D printing in the construction industry can reduce waste by 95% or more. “Depending on the technology, it has the potential to unlock truly zero-waste construction, eliminating approximately 4.
4 pounds per square foot, on average, that go to landfills [when building] a traditionally constructed home,” says Sam Ruben, co-founder and senior sustainability adviser at Mighty Buildings, a California-based 3D-printing construction company. Fewer leftovers headed to the landfill translates to fewer greenhouse gas emissions, fewer toxins leaching into the ground and less pollution—all of which can help slow climate change.
And the applications are endless in various manufacturing arenas, whether you’re building homes, furniture, cars, space shuttles or medical equipment. 3D printing also reduces waste before you even start creating a product because you can create more effective prototypes. Since a large portion of the design process takes place on the computer, with AI helping to produce incredible simulations, it is easier to identify which parts need to be improved and which might fail. As a result, you don’t have to go through quite as many materials (which will eventually get thrown out) before figuring out how to create the item you want.
It cuts down on shipping
The transportation sector is one of the world’s largest contributors of greenhouse gases. The maritime shipping industry, in particular, is responsible for at least 2.5% of the planet’s total carbon emissions, and that’s not even taking into account air and road travel. 3D printing could make a serious dent in this issue by reducing fuel usage.
In a traditional production situation, a product (and its assorted components) might be transported several times. It is usually made at a production company, often in another country, then moved to a local packaging company, and finally shipped to a store. That’s a lot of fuel used, not to mention exhaust released. But a 3D printer allows the product—including all the packaging—to be made locally. An item can be designed in one country, and then the design can be sent digitally to another for production.
Even better, “a company could invest in its own 3D printer and produce the [item] in-house,” says David Bourell, a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.
By cutting down on the number of places an item has to be created and packaged, there’s less flying, shipping and driving. This can also help with supply-chain issues, since less would be produced and shipped from overseas production sites. Plus, Ruben adds, 3D printing allows manufacturers to use nontraditional materials that are locally sourced and more sustainable.
It can use recycled materials
The filaments and plastics used in 3D printing are strong and biodegradable, which reduces plastic waste. And that’s not the only type of recycled material that companies (and hobbyists) can use in 3D printing.
“This can be everything from using recycled plastic bottles for thermoplastic printing, to deploying waste like old wind turbine blades or glass,” Ruben says. “As we continue to see advances in recycling technology, we will see the types of printing that can utilize recycled materials expanding and moving ever closer to truly circular economies around 3D printing.”
Parts can be made to order
Need a single part for a product? No problem.
What about a very specific one? 3D printing’s got you there too, since production can be personalized. This is another environmental win because it means companies don’t have to mass-produce items and waste materials. To put this into context, think about a building a house. A traditional wall would use wood, screws, drywall, tape, insulation, barriers and plates. If you were using a 3D printer for that house, you could create only the specific things you need for the project at hand—or print the entire wall with all the components. This also saves energy, fuel and production costs.
And according to All3DP, 3D printing has the potential to revolutionize affordable housing. Habitat for Humanity partnered with Alquist in 2021 to print a single-level concrete home, and it took only 12 hours to build. Yes, you read that right: 12 hours.
How 3D printing is harmful for the environment
Goldcastle7/getty images
There’s no denying that there are a lot of upsides to 3D printing, but the process is not entirely sustainable.
“As with any technology, 3D printing is not a silver bullet,” Ruben says. “Though 3D printing holds incredible possibilities for improved sustainability, we are still seeing the use of materials such as virgin plastics and polymers and concrete, which are some of the biggest drivers of global greenhouse gas emissions.” Here’s a closer look at some of the current issues.
Many 3D-printing materials are plastic
As noted above, some of the materials may be recycled plastic, but in the end, it’s still a lot of plastic. “Many 3D-printing technologies use the exact same thermoplastic materials as traditional mass-production techniques, so that’s pretty much a wash for environmental impact,” says Denis Cormier, a professor of industrial and systems engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology. “You therefore have an unfortunate choice between slower 3D-printing processes that use recyclable thermoplastic materials and faster 3D-printing processes that require disposal of hazardous waste.
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Plus, a lot of the plastic will still wind up in landfills someday. Think of it this way: If you can create cool products with just a click of a button, there is the potential for a lot of button clicking—and a lot of wasted products tossed in the trash.
It encourages people to create more prototypes
With prototyping comes wasted products, parts and iterations. “Failed prints are by far the largest downside,” says Nicole Bakker, a visiting researcher at the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms and founder of Circular Engine. “Another big one is the category of successful prints that lack functionality and over time lose their purpose. By having access to the technology, people are incentivized to create more stuff. Before you know it, you’ve created a bunch of waste.”
3D printing still uses electricity
While production times may be condensed, the amount of energy required to create a product is still high. That’s because 3D printing builds parts very slowly.
“So, in general, we must invest a lot of energy in the manufacturing process over a relatively long period of time,” explains Bourell. “The result is a relatively low volume of final product.” Translation: It can take a lot of energy to create something small, so you’re trading one problem for another.
But the future is still bright
3D printing isn’t a static field. As scientists continue to work on this manufacturing marvel, they will develop new and better ways to create less waste and use less energy, making it more sustainable. And this has wide-ranging potential that could do everything from counteracting the negative effects of fast fashion to making space tourism more viable. In the meantime, says Bourell, anyone using a 3D printer should “consider the entire life cycle of a part to make the math work out in favor of it” before they press “print.”
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Sources:
- Fortune Business Insights: “3D Printing Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis”
- Sam Ruben, co-founder and senior sustainability adviser at Mighty Buildings, a California-based 3D-printing construction company
- S&P Global: “Your climate change goals may have a maritime shipping problem”
- David Bourell, professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering at the University of Texas at Austin
- All3DP: “3D Printed House: 25 Most Important Projects in 2022”
- Denis Cormier, professor of industrial and systems engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology
- Nicole Bakker, visiting researcher at the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms and founder of Circular Engine
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Is 3D Printing Eco-Friendly - My 3D Concepts
We believe in being eco-friendly, protecting the environment and creating while saving our natural resources.
We believe that 3D technology is the next logical step in the manufacturing process, and that as part of our future it will help achieve the goal of producing and creating without destroying.
Being Eco-friendly is a way of life not a trend or buzz word. It exemplifies a philosophy and an action. Guiding the way we live, work and produce the items we need in a manner which is safe for our environment and in a way to conserve and protect the inhabitants and resources of our planet. Embracing eco-friendly initiatives creates an atmosphere of excitement, thrill and even euphoria especially as our society becomes more responsible and respectful towards its environment.
The bad news.
The reality today does not allow the 3D printing technology to be fully Eco-friendly. Different researchers reveal that this technology uses large amounts of energy, larger than the amount used by milling and drilling machines. A research (Atkins Project) done at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom revealed that to produce the same object of the same weight, some 3D printing processes require 50 to 100 times more electrical energy than injection molding machine.
Another setback is the heavy reliance on plastic materials for the printing process. Plastic as a whole is not considered an Eco-friendly material. Studies show that industrial grade 3D printers have a substantial plastic byproduct left behind that in most cases is not suitable for reuse.
Furthermore a study led by Brent Stephens reveals that the secondhand printing fumes emitted when the plastic material is heated to high temperatures, hold toxic byproducts. Although the emissions levels were found somewhat normal – close to those of cooking indoors (Learn more about this at www.sciencedirect.com), the research demonstrates the need for further investigation.
The good news!
Observing the 3D printing Eco-friendly status in comparison to all the other manufacturing process, especially mass production, demonstrates the facts that the technology has far less of an impact on our environment in comparison to traditional manufacturing.
Moreover When we consider the entire product life cycle; extracting raw materials, assembly, refining, manufacturing, assembly, use, maintenance and end of the products life – 3D printers demonstrate considerable advantage over traditional machines in terms carbon footprint.
In manufacturing, 3D printers generate less waste by using a little more than the amount of material necessary for the product eliminating completely the process of drilling, cutting, and milling. Another advantage of 3d printers is gained by reducing the refining and assembly stage and removing the storing necessity of the products before and during their sale which in terms of traditional manufacturing contributes to the overuse of resources.
Nevertheless as of today all manufacturing in its initial stage (extracting raw materials) and the disposal stage, involve heavy environment pollution. Many damaging effects are caused by the methods used to extract the raw materials are extracted and a large amount of energy is consumed in merely obtaining them raw materials.
According to many researchers, progressively more dangerous extraction methods are used to retrieve scarce oil resources for the production of plastic material so widely used today. Transportation, refining and manufacturing of products require additional energy, raw material waste and dumping toxic waste from the processes themselves into the air, earth and water.
One the most evident and harmful consequence occurs at the completion of the life cycle when the products are discarded.
3D printing is striving to respond and correct all those problems inherent in a products life cycle. As mentioned previously, the technology is all about its unlimited potential, The potential in this technology allows us to say that 3D printing will continue developing and improving its continuous development and improvement in every aspect, especially in terms of being 3D printing Eco-friendly.
On-the-spot and on-demand 3D-printed manufacturing reduces overall energy waste and has smaller carbon footprint. The environmental costs of assembling, transporting, logistics, maintaining, storing are completely or nearly eliminated. The whole idea behind 3D printing is to produce affordable products in an efficient and effective manner so they are durable, lighter (especially advantageous when shipping) and have close to zero waste. The focus is on high quality, efficiency and low volume manufacturing.
Computer generated designs will help reduce costs and improve energy and resource usage, by aiding in the design and early production stages of a new product, and by eliminating the need to store actual products. In addition, the products form, function, performance and durability will be greatly enhanced.
Another advantage is that the manufacturing would return to the hands of the local producers. It will reduce the shipping, air cargo volumes and the need for storage facilities and allow an emphasis on customization and high quality.
What about the heavy reliance of plastic for production and the related issues?
It is true that the heating and melting of plastic during the production stage emits fumes (Volatile Organic Carbon) and ultra fine particles harmful to the health. However the people behind the technology prove once again their incessant strive towards 3D printing Eco-friendly manufacturing by working on limiting and eliminating the risks through various filtration and ventilation solution incorporated in the machines themselves.
One such improvement is the use of corn-based biodegradable plastic (PLA) that not only has considerably less toxic emission risks but also proves a promising 3D printing Eco-friendly future in terms of the disposal stage of a product life cycle.
Furthermore 3D printers do rely on plastic, but only heavily for the desktop grade ones. The industrial grade 3D printers have the unlimited possibilities of variety of materials ranging from metal, ceramic to wood-like and glass-like materials. The prove for continuing aim for improvement in terms of materials comes from the fact that nowadays scientist are in the mist of printing human organs using cell-containing bio ink. The possibilities are endless.
Passion Creates Results
We are passionate about creating and helping you produce new, improved and greener products through 3D technology which emphasizes on the use of recycled materials and focuses on reducing, managing and eliminating waste.
We are excited about the potential for this technology to focus on materials for the printing process that would be Eco-friendly utilizing bio-degradable materials, bio-plastics, powders, resins, acrylates, wax and more.
The end goal is to eliminate toxic materials and the negative effect on the environment.
According to various reports form the global management consulting firm of McKinsey, there are substantial trends of improvements in the 3D printing performance. In fact there is a “90% drop in the price of some low-end 3D printers and materials for home users compared to four years ago,” according to a recent article by Nilima Choudhury. See more at climatechangenews.com
Overall the potential and eco-friendly results of 3D printing technology are promising. This technology is believed to be revolution in manufacturing which is expected to get bigger, better and greener.
Eco-friendly use of 3D printers in the home and industry
Vegetarianism, electric cars, green energy. Increasingly, people are beginning to think about the destructive impact of humanity and production on nature.
Global warming (this is especially noticeable in the last decade), pollution of the world's oceans, garbage dumps, the extinction of some animal species or even entire ecosystems.
If you do not start to fight this today, then in a hundred years, hardly anything will remain of the former natural greatness.
3D printing, due to its versatility, helps many scientists and enthusiasts in various fields in solving large and global problems, for the conservation and ecosystems of our still green planet.
Sustainable production
First of all, 3D printers help to make production more environmentally friendly. Using 3D printing instead of traditional manufacturing methods helps reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions.
Air Emission Reduction
Smoke, garbage, gases, toxic fumes are frequent "companions" of traditional production methods. However, they can be significantly reduced or completely eliminated if a 3D printer is working in the workplace or at home.
Mass production vs. 3D printing
At first glance, it seems that mass production is less harmful to nature than piece-by-piece production on a 3D printer.
But it turned out that this is not entirely true. Joshua Pierce and colleagues traced the life cycle of three household items - an orange juicer, parts from a children's designer and a drainpipe segment.
Joshua Pierce, Michigan Technological University Scientist USA
It turned out that the production of, at first glance, such ordinary household items consumes a huge amount of resources - the extraction of raw materials and their processing, production, storage and delivery to the final consumer. In mass production, stamping or casting is usually used, after which plastic scraps are sure to remain.
3D printing can significantly reduce the production chain, and consequently, energy costs (by about 40-60%). After all, 3D printing (provided that the client has his own printer) does not require delivery - it is enough to send a digital 3D model. Printing can be more accurate and leave less plastic waste behind. A 3D printer can even produce hollow or lattice parts that are technically impossible to mass-produce by injection molding or moulding.
Reduced fuel consumption
In the world, more and more manufacturers of cars and motorcycles are beginning to develop the direction of electric motors. There are new and more affordable electric vehicles, the infrastructure for the maintenance of electrical engineering is developing. Many countries set themselves the goal of reducing the use of fossil fuels as much as possible in the near future.
Strati 3D printed electric car
But unfortunately, abandoning fossil fuels in the next few decades is a utopia. But 3D printing is already helping to at least reduce the amount of fuel consumed. This is achieved due to the maximum lightening of the weight of both the machine itself and the mechanical components of the internal combustion engine (internal combustion engine).
Engine hood hinge, 3D printed on the left and sheet metal on the right
Sustainable production
3D printing helps not only to reduce industrial emissions into the atmosphere, but also helps to find and implement new ideas.
After all, each owner of a 3D printer can himself model and manufacture a device or object that, in his opinion, will help to resist climate change.
Eco glasses
Disposable plastic cups are a headache for environmentalists around the world. According to statistics, the average person uses a plastic cup for 15 minutes, and it will take from 400 to 450 years to decompose in the garbage.
Plastic, due to its properties, is difficult to replace, especially in the food industry, but some enthusiasts are trying to do it. Jun Aizaki thinks he can solve this problem with pumpkins.
HyO-Cups or natural cups
Even prehistoric people adapted to use bottle gourds as reservoirs for water. Thanks to the 3D printed shapes, you can give almost any shape to a growing pumpkin.
gourd in the form of a jug
Animal rescue
3D printers are actively helping our smaller brothers.
In addition to medical uses such as prosthetics, 3D printing helps preserve and restore entire ecosystems.
Animal prostheses
The biggest challenge in animal prosthetics is the creation of an often miniaturized but lightweight and precise prosthesis. Manually or by other methods, this is sometimes impossible. In this case, the only way out is 3D printing.
Curano Cat
Curano the cat lived a full life for 9 years, delighting his owners, until he got cancer. Curano's owners did everything possible to save their pet and although the cancer receded, Curano's back left leg was badly damaged. Amputation of the leg could create new problems and it was decided to try to replace the patella with an implant.
The miniature implant was 3D printed from a cobalt-chromium alloy using DMLS (Direct Laser Sintering) technology. It was impossible to manufacture by any other means, because the implant must not only be miniature and durable, but also completely repeat the complex relief for high-quality integration into the bone.
Holly horse
Holly is a ten year old mare who suffered from laminitis.
Laminitis is a disease of artiodactyls resulting from poor circulation of the hoof plates. Due to laminitis, Holly experienced severe pain in her legs, not only when walking, but also when standing.
Veterinarian Luke Wells-Smith heard of successful attempts to make custom titanium horseshoes for racing horses.
3D printed titanium horseshoes
The guys from the Australian National Science Center were imbued with Holly's misfortune and decided to help. In collaboration with a equine orthopedist, special horseshoes were created for Holly. They made it possible to lighten the hoof and more evenly distribute the load on the legs.
Holly's hoof scan
The new shoes helped Holly start not only walking without pain, but also running.
Akut sea turtle
The collision with the propeller of the boat was unfortunate for the Akut-3 sea turtle.
Most of the upper and lower jaws were missing. This meant almost guaranteed slow death for the tortoise, but she was lucky.
The Tortoise Research and Rehabilitation Research and Rehabilitation Center, where the turtle ended up, turned to the Turkish company Btech, which specializes in medical 3D printing. Btech was able to scan and fabricate the missing part of the Akut jaw from titanium.
3D model of the prosthesis for Akut on the left and the finished prosthesis on the right
The surgeons succeeded in implanting the turtle's titanium jaw, and after a successful rehabilitation, it can be released into the wild.
Turtle with prosthesis
Cleopatra tortoise
Nicola Novelli picked up and left a small land tortoise. But due to malnutrition, the shell of the turtle, Nicola called her Cleopatra, was deformed (had the shape of a pyramid) and thinned. If the shell had cracked, then Cleopatra could have died from an infection.
Cleopatra's deformed, pyramidal shell
Nicola approached Colorado Tech University with a request to make a prosthesis for Cleopatra. Specialists from the university and a 3D printing company in Denver scanned and made a shell overlay from polylactide, a biodegradable, biocompatible polymer. Due to the complex relief of the shell, the model had to be printed in parts.
Cleopatra with escutcheon
Since Cleopatra is still a teenager and will continue to grow with age, the “prosthesis” will have to be changed periodically.
Hermit crab houses
In the wild, it's bad to be small and weak. But hermit crabs were able to adapt and use empty shells of gastropod mollusks as a reliable shelter.
Hermit crabs
Due to the pollution of the beaches, many hermit crabs, in search of a new "house", fell into deadly traps from plastic bags, bottles, canisters and died.
And natural shelters are becoming less and less. Hermit crabs have to use plastic garbage, which is not at all suitable for this.
Hermit crabs use rubbish as a home
Some enthusiasts are trying to help the unfortunate crustaceans and are trying to make them a worthy replacement house.
For example, MakerBot employees created the project "Shelter", where they offer anyone who wants to design a 3D model of a shelter for a hermit crab. The best works will be 3D printed and tested by crayfish.
From concept to implementation of 3D printed crayfish houses
But the Japanese artist Aki Yamomata, inspired by the idea of a peaceful exchange of land between countries, implemented a project of printed transparent houses for hermit crabs in the form of small towns.
Cancer in a new home made with photopolymer printer
To make sure the new inhabitants liked the houses, they were based on tomographic images of shells, finalized in a 3D editor.
Finished models are made of transparent resin on a photopolymer printer.
Conservation and support of ecosystems
In addition to prosthetics, 3D printing helps, although not to avoid some environmental disasters, but at least to slow them down. And this can give scientists more time to figure out the reasons and reach out to people.
Great Barrier Reef
It is the largest and oldest coral reef in the world. It is so huge that it can be seen from space (the area of the Great Barrier Reef is about 344,400 square kilometers). In addition, corals are home to many species of fish and other marine life.
Great Barrier Reef from space
But despite its gigantic size, it is endangered. Due to rising water temperatures, pollution of the world's oceans and climate change, the endosymbiotic algae that give corals their bright color are slowly dying out.
Scientists from the University of Sydney are using 3D scanning and 3D printing to save the Great Barrier Reef.
Using 3D scanning, a detailed map of the reef was built. With it, you can track and predict the most vulnerable places.
Using a 3D printer, scientists are making a variety of structures that can support the Great Barrier Reef. For example, sections are printed that serve as a home for algae-eating fish that kill corals. Previously, special blocks or prepared, sunken ships were used for this purpose, but 3D printing makes it possible to imitate the natural structure of the reef much more accurately.
Sandcrete mix artificial reef
Restoring dead ecosystems
Scientists plan to use this technology not only to maintain existing ecosystems, but also to restore those that have disappeared. After all, to date, about a third of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed.
Thanks to 3D printing, there is a chance to at least slightly improve the situation. Using the new Modular Artificial Reef Structures (MARS for short) technology, scientists are trying to introduce 3D printed structures that can become a home for reefs.
Artificial “reef” on the left - recently installed, on the right - after some time
The advantage of such block structures is the ease of installation. Indeed, for their immersion and installation, cranes or other equipment are not required. Several divers can deliver them to the bottom in separate blocks. Each block has hollow sections that are filled with rebar and special concrete for durability.
Modular system installed
One of the largest 3D printed "coral reefs" has already been placed in the Maldives.
Waste reduction
In addition to restoring ecosystems, it is necessary to reduce household waste emissions. And here 3D printing becomes a valuable assistant.
Cora Ball
Cora Ball is a development of the Rozalia Project. The Cora Ball is a small plastic ball that picks up the microfibers that spill from our clothes during the wash.
This way, dirt and fibers that may have entered waterways and oceans will remain in the bin. After all, these microparticles can be eaten by fish and other animals.
Prototype Cora Ball
Although mass production was planned to be done by molding, the first batches and prototypes of Cora Ball were made on a 3D printer.
The second life of broken things
Any mechanism wears out and fails over time. Often, to restore the working capacity of the mechanism, it is enough to make a small plastic part. So thanks to 3D printing, many things do not end up in a landfill, further polluting our planet, but get a second life.
RU machine
Radio-controlled cars have long become not only children's toys. Many adults do not mind remembering their childhood and racing on an impromptu track.
RU machine
The weak point of all RC machines is the plastic suspension.
For expensive replica models, you can almost always find spare parts, but for rare or Chinese models, they are not.
Instead of throwing away an almost working toy, you can make a broken element on a 3D printer. When modeling, you can even increase the strength of the part by adding stiffeners in weak places.
Rear hub of 1/18 scale car
Some enthusiasts 3D print the entire chassis. This makes it easy to replace broken elements and quickly refine and correct design flaws.
3D printed RC car chassis
The second life of the meat grinder
Even such seemingly eternal things as a metal meat grinder can break. The most annoying thing is that a part that does not have a strong load has broken.
Clamping nut for a meat grinder, made on a 3D printer
A variety of materials allows you to print on a 3D printer a replacement for almost any plastic part.
It can be a gear for a blender, a plastic handle for a washing machine and much more.
In some situations, when the model is rare and old, there are no even original used spare parts. 3D printing allows you to give your favorite home appliance many more years of life, instead of rotting in a landfill.
Vehicle seal
Sometimes a small, cheap piece breaks in an important knot. But the manufacturer sells the necessary spare part only in the collection. Because of this, you have to not only overpay for the necessary part, but also throw away the unnecessary, albeit almost working, mechanism.
Washer nozzle for Toyota Avensis - 3D printed on the left, original on the right
A 3D printer becomes a “lifesaver” if you need to make a spare part that is already difficult or impossible to get. For example, this part is no longer produced, but the BU option could not be found, or delivery will cost more than the part itself.
Green energy
The transition to green energy is an important step in reducing emissions of greenhouse (and not only) gases into the atmosphere.
Wind power
Wind energy is a renewable and “clean” energy source. Despite some disadvantages (variability of wind power and therefore uneven power generation), it is promising for some countries. For example, in Denmark, in 2019, windmills generated 48% of the electricity consumed.
There are several options for wind turbines - with a vertical and horizontal axis of rotation.
Main types of wind turbines
Vertical-axial wind turbines have a lower efficiency compared to horizontal-axial ones, but their use requires that the wind speed be more than 6 m/s. In Russia, the average annual wind speed does not exceed 5 m/s, so wind turbines with a vertical axis are more often used.
Home wind generator
In Russia, "clean" energy sources are not very popular because of their high price.
3D printing helps enthusiasts design and build low-cost models of wind turbines.
3D printed home wind turbine
In an apartment building, there is hardly a place where a wind generator will be effective, but for example, in a country house, it can be a good helper in case of a power outage.
Wind turbine production optimization
An industrial wind generator is a complex mechanism of gigantic size.
Industrial wind turbine blade
Using only 3D modeling techniques, it can be difficult to correctly calculate all parameters. Thanks to 3D printers, it is possible to create a miniature copy of a wind turbine and test it in a wind tunnel. This helps to optimize and refine the design of wind generators, making them more efficient.
Prototype wind turbine being tested in wind tunnel
And some companies offer to print towers for wind turbines on a 3D printer.
GE Renewable Energy, 3D printing specialists COBOD and LafargeHolcim (a manufacturer of cement and other building materials) have teamed up to develop the world's tallest wind turbine towers. This will reduce the cost of installing wind turbines and make them higher (200 meters instead of 100) than from other materials.
3D printed wind turbine tower
After all, the higher the wind generator, the more electricity it can generate in a year. For example, a 5 MW turbine at a height of 80 meters will generate approximately 15.1 GWh per year. The same turbine at a height of 160 meters - 20.2 GWh per year, which is 30% more.
Solar energy
Solar energy is obtained using special panels, consisting of photovoltaic cells, in which a series of physical and chemical processes take place under the influence of sunlight. There are several types of solar cells - monocrystalline, polycrystalline, amorphous (flexible, film).
In Russia, solar batteries are not very common due to the unprofitability of their use in high latitudes.
Currently, developments are underway for the production of panels on a 3D printer, but the main use of 3D printing in solar energy is to print prototypes and accessories for panels.
Accessories for solar panels
South Dakota-based Peppermint Energy created FORTY2. FORTY2 is a portable solar panel with enough power to run a laptop, lighting, etc.
For the production of a prototype case, 3D printing was used on an industrial Stratasys printer. Thanks to 3D printing, it was possible to quickly produce several functional prototypes of the case and remove all the flaws.
For example, the first version of FORTY was too bulky and inconvenient to transport. The original design was greatly simplified. The use of a 3D printer has reduced production costs by about $250,000.
Hydropower
Most renewable energy sources (solar, wind) are fickle. Electricity obtained in this way must be “stabilized” - stored in batteries.
Water in this regard is more predictable. Industrial hydroelectric power plants have a number of disadvantages. For example, flood risk, desertification, human migration, etc. Small hydro-generators, in general, are devoid of the shortcomings of their industrial counterparts and do not have such a devastating effect on the environment.
Vortex turbine
The Belgian startup team Turbulent is trying to create a compact hydroelectric generator that is enough to provide electricity to 1-2 private houses. This will help people who are far from the power grid to provide their homes with electricity using the energy of streams or small rivers.
Hydro generator prototype from Turbulent
To make the turbine more accessible and cheaper, 3D printing has been chosen as a manufacturing method. According to statistics, 1.3 billion people do not have access to electricity networks, even more residents have constant power outages and are forced to use other, not environmentally friendly, energy sources (for example, gasoline / diesel generators).
River turbine
Ted Christopher spent several years developing a prototype river turbine capable of generating electricity without impacting the environment. The result of his developments was the Volturn system, named after the god of the river in Greek mythology.
The Volturn has a horizontal design that generates power and deflects river debris such as rocks, plants or logs.
The prototype was 3D printed and tested in local rivers. 5 turbines combined into a single system will be able to provide electricity to about 40 houses.
Plastic recycling
Plastic. Its properties, for the modern world, become both a salvation and a curse for the environment. On the one hand, plastic products are light and durable, you do not need to spend a lot of time on their manufacture. At the same time, not all types of plastic can be recycled. On average, a plastic product can decompose from 400 to 700 years, and unfortunately plastic rots not only in landfills, but also pollutes nature and the oceans.
Filament recycling
During 3D printing, plastic debris is inevitably left behind. These can be model supports or broken products, during the printing of which something went wrong.
3D printing failed
But used plastic can be shredded, mixed with fresh pellets, and reused (as long as the plastic is not biodegradable). In this case, 3D printing becomes almost waste-free.
On the Internet, you can find many options for home machines for the production of plastic thread. It can be a self-assembly machine, partially printed on a 3D printer.
Home self-assembly filament machine
Or a finished machine made at the factory. Pellets for plastic production can be easily ordered online.
Home filament machine
Plastic bottle filament
In addition to recycling used filament, enthusiasts have learned to print even from plastic bottles.
Homemade machine for making plastic thread from plastic bottles
Every day, around 100 million plastic bottles are used and thrown away around the world, and only 20% of them are recycled or reused. A plastic bottle can take up to 450 years to decompose! The use of plastic bottles as a material for a 3D printer will give them a new life in the form of useful things for the home.
Bottle printed spool
3D printed bottle gear
From one bottle, from 15 to 30 grams of plastic filament is obtained.
Totals
3D printers still have a long way to go to become truly sustainable, but even now, despite the imperfection of the technology, they can help reduce environmental pollution.
Already now, thanks to 3D printing, many good deeds are being done - it is possible to improve production technologies, even if only a little, to reduce the amount of emissions into the atmosphere and, of course, to try to restore the fragile natural balance.
It is important to remember that a 3D printer is just a tool and it depends only on the consciousness of a person whether it will be useful or continue to replenish landfills with unnecessary plastic waste.
How environmentally friendly is 3D printing? Scientists sound the alarm
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American scientists claim that some materials for 3D printing can release toxic substances that are hazardous to health and the environment.
A team of scientists turned their attention to photopolymers, which are used in consumer products, adhesives and filling materials. Recently, they are increasingly used for rapid prototyping using laser stereolithography technology.
The fact is that photopolymers are obtained by a chemical reaction using antimony, a toxic heavy metal. Items printed from this material can contain up to 100 times more heavy metal than items made from other polymers, such as polyethylene terephthalate, which is used in food packaging.
Researchers at Robert Morris University, Pennsylvania have found that photopolymers on the market can contain up to 10 percent antimony compounds. After a series of tests, it was found that during the first 20 hours after printing, photopolymer products emit up to 3 percent of the antimony content. Yes, the volume of photopolymers used in prototyping is very small, but scientists believe that the rapid development of 3D printing that everyone is talking about - and the consequent heavy use and destruction of materials containing antimony - could pose a threat.
The new journal 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing already had an article that antimony levels in the environment are gradually rising.
"Photopolymers used for 3D printing can be a source of antimony in landfills, incinerators and the environment," the article says. Also, its authors emphasize that heavy metal is released during processing and grinding of the product.
The consequences of rising levels of antimony in the environment can be very serious, especially if the heavy metal enters aquifers with drinking water.
Side effects of antimony are similar to arsenic, in particular, it can harm the heart.
"With the growing popularity of 3D printing, the health and safety of those who work with antimony-containing photopolymers and the safe disposal of printed products should be considered," the authors of the article say.
The big picture
Of course, the release of toxic toxins is only one facet of the pros and cons of traditional and additive manufacturing. On the one hand, 3D printing is often described as safe and environmentally friendly, avoiding the waste that comes with traditional manufacturing methods such as injection molding. But this point of view can be considered true only in relation to some materials, for example, metals, and in fact there are printing technologies such as spraying, and the materials there are completely different. In addition, not all production waste can be recycled.
Experts also disagree about the amount of energy consumed by additive manufacturing compared to traditional subtractive manufacturing, especially in terms of the growing demand for 3D printed products.
While local manufacturers are coping with the environmental impact of shipping finished products to the consumer, raw materials still need to be transported to 3D printers, and there are a number of other issues to think about (for example, pollutant emissions and disposal of equipment according to end of service life).
So how environmentally friendly is 3D printing? The answer to this question – at the moment – depends on the situation. Different printing technologies, materials and 3D printers affect the environment in different ways. Also important is the volume of production.
Nevertheless, there is every chance to establish the maximum safe environmental impact of additive manufacturing, of course, subject to continuous improvement of the materials and technologies used. Ultimately, it can be said that identifying a problem such as antimony contamination is already the first step towards finding a safer material that will cope with the situation. Although 3D printing technology is still in its early stages of development, there are already many new, more sustainable materials on the market.
