Additive Manufacturing meets Circular Economy

Our 2nd Speed Networking Event united the topics of Additive Manufacturing and Circular Economy by bringing together domain experts of both fields with some working in the intersection.

Additive Manufacturing plays perfectly in the technical cycle of a circular economy. There it is an enabler because it enables a smart use-case centric design and therefore a reduction of assembly complexity as well as a cyclical material flow to conserve material. Additionally, AM requires and strongly encourages ground-up thinking, which is also necessary for the disruptive economical approach.  

Transforming the manufacturing from linear to circular means breaking and rebuilding the supply chain in the same spots that additive manufacturing also demands. The disruptions of the two worlds complement each other pursuing one creates the opportunity to pursue the other simultaneously. 

The greatest synergy between additive manufacturing and the circular economy, however, is likely to result from the fact that both use the material in crushed form as a raw material. So, if 3D printed components are collected, sorted and shredded after their lifetime in the sense of the circular economy, you ideally automatically have the initial state for the next 3D printing cycle. This makes additive manufacturing one of the key technologies for the successful implementation of circular processes in our production halls.  Fortunately, several members of the 3D printing industry have recently recognized this and already offer promising solutions such as material-take-back programs.