Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Is 3D printing a green technology?
Research on energy consumption of 3D printing compared to traditional manufacturing have
been done in the Atkins Project at Loughborough University running from 2008-2011 and
a handful of other academic studies. The results are inconclusive but it points in this direc-
tion: It takes several times more energy to run the machines when producing a part using
3D printing than it does with traditional manufacturing. Except for energy consumption in
the production phase, 3D printing is to prefer to traditional manufacturing in most other as-
pects such as: material consumption, transports, energy consumption of produced parts (for
example light-weight airplane parts), over-production, supply chain efficiency etc. Another
issue with 3D printing is that the base materials sometimes need more pre-processing, such
as gas atomization of metal powders, making polymers into coils or powder etc. Using bio-
plastics like PLA when printing could decrease the ecological footprint, but PLA is usually
made from corn which adds to the calculation, other alternatives, such as Mango Material's
bio-plastic that is made from waste methane gas, could enhance sustainability even more.
The conclusion is that while 3D printing is not as environmentally-friendly and green as
many claim it to be, it is hardly worse than traditional manufacturing when all the aspects
are put together.
