Post on 22-Jan-2018
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
OF WIDESPREAD 3D
PRINTING
Shardul AgrawalaHead, Environment and Economy Integration DivisionOECD Environment Directorate
GreenTalks, 27 February 2017
• What is 3D Printing?
• Technologies, trends and prospects
• Environmental implications?
• Role of policy in enhancing environmental sustainability of 3D printing
Draws on a chapter (by J. Faludi, N.Cline-Thomas & S. Agrawala) in “The Next Production Revolution: Implications for Governments and Business”, OECD 2017
Outline
• Additive manufacturing is a set of technologies and processes that use a digital file to build a physical three-dimensional object.
• Object is made by adding (printing layers) of material until a model is complete based off of a CAD image
What is 3D printing?
http://3dprintingfromscratch.com/3dcategory/3dbasics/
Stereolithography –Liquid based 3DP
Common 3D printing technologies
Selective layer Sintering- Powder based 3DP
Fused deposition Modelling
–Plastic filament based
Common 3D printing technologies
Inkjet
Machining starts with a block of material and cuts away unwanted matter.
What technologies can it replace or complement?
Injection moulding heats thermoplastics (e.g. nylon and polystyrene) and pressures the materials into the desired shape. Injection moulding
TRENDS AND PROSPECTS
• 1980s: first start
• Early 2000s: widespread public awareness took hold due to the expiration of early patents
• 2005-2011: rapid growth – the number of 3D printers sold doubled.
Evolution of 3DP
A wide range of current applications
“Proof of concept” On the market
Intermediateproducts,parts
Endproducts
KamerMaker Canal House Jewellery
Customised hearing aid
Custom fabrics
Drone parts
RAPID PROTOTYPING
Jet engine nozzle
Strati electric car
Currently 3DP primarily produces prototypes, models and tooling
Only 15% are parts in sold goods
Expected industry evolution
Today
High-cost, low-volume industries
Moderate-cost, moderate-volume
industries
The next frontier
Low-cost, high-volume
industries
Decades away
Fall in 3D printing costsQuality improvement
2014-2020: projected market growth of 20%
Prototypes,Aerospace,
Medical suppliesPrecision machinery
OpticsToys
Designer housewares, furniture and clothing
Near-term evolution expansion
Costs
Will depend on:
Material choice
Quality
Size range
Increasing
Costs
Print time
Decreasing
Material choice
Challenges and trade-offs
Short term evolution
of 3D printing
technology
Print speed
Printquality
Printsize
Multi-material
parts
recyclability
Proprietary materials
vs DIY
toxicity
Printcost
Volume of production
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS OF 3D
PRINTING
Key issues when assessing
environmental implications of 3DP
• Manufacturing process vs Manufactured product
• Process:o Aggregate vs individual processeso Inputs, by-products
• Productso Weight o Complexity of designo End of life
• All relative to counterfactual
Some current “green” applications
The LEAP engine has 19 3D-printed fuel nozzles
- 25% lighter nozzles- 15% more fuel efficient
Toulouse May 2015
Niche ideas .. From energy efficient walls
to rhino horns
Pembient 3DP rhino horns
Lab3D wall
3DP will drastically reduce the costs and externalities related to:
Environmental implications of 3DP: Two fallacies
Waste generation and managementTransportation
• Environmental implications of 3D printed parts highly context specific, depending upon printer type, part geometry, machine utilisation rate.
• Also dependent upon the counterfactual (i.e. the technology it replaces)
– A “typical” 3D printed hollow-shell plastic or metal part has lower impact than machining [but there are many exceptions], but higher impact than injection moulding
A more nuanced picture
• Environmental impacts of machining are dominated by material use, whereas in 3D printing energy use dominates.
• Aggregate changes in environmental impacts of switching from machining or injection moulding to 3D are likely to be limited, at least in the near term.
• Transport costs could be reduced forbusinesses selling different productsmade from one material.
• For most consumer productsenvironmental impacts from transportare a small percentage of total lifecycle environmental impacts
• Further, feedstock materials for 3Dprinters will still need to betransported.
Environmental Implications: Transport
• Today 3D printers can use a range of materials: plastics, metals, ceramics, paper, food, starch, salt, living human cells…
– Often not environmental improvements (e.g. powdered vs. solid metals)
• Future expansions:
– New, green materials biodegradable
– Multimaterial parts harder to recycle
– Tuneable materials, capable of changing physical properties according to printing parameters
Environmental implications:
Material use
• Waste in 3D printing is entirely determined by printer type and material input.
• Most products require support material in addition to the desired product to prevent warping.
– Example: a polyjet printer wastes 43% of all its liquid polymer in both model and support material
• Overproduction & waste? Opposite trends:
– No need to mass-produce and stock
– Optimise geometry with light-weight parts
– Ease of printing new models for testing
– Induced demand for “fun” desktop printing
Environmental implications:
Waste generation
reduceoverproduction
increaseoverproduction
• 3DP does not automatically encourage recycling of materials
• Compostable feedstock?
– Bioplastic, wood fibre, starch…
– But composting PLA bioplastic requires investment in high-temperature municipal-scale facilities
Environmental implications:
Waste management
- Life cycle environmental impacts of 3D printing are dominated by energy use during printing
- Currently no incentive for printer manufacturers to design energy efficient printers.
- On the other hand, 3D printing can also reduce energy consumption – by encouraging leaner production, design of lower mass parts, reducing energy losses (e.g. air leaks in buildings)
Environmental implications: Energy Use
Environmental implications:
Toxic exposure
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b04983. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2016, Vol. 50, pp. 1260−1268
Environmental implications:
Toxic exposure
“These 3D printers are like tiny factories in a box. We regulate factories. We would never bring one into our home. Yet, we are starting to bring these 3D printers into our homes like they are toasters”
Prof. William GroverSchool of Engineering, University of California, Riverside
• Printing replacement parts of white goods could reducepremature disposal
• Issues with regard to access to designs,
IP infringement
Washing machine knob
Environmental implications:
Extending the use life of products
http://www.plateconference.org/print-repair-opportunities-constraints-3d-printing-replacement-parts/
New business modelsExample: 3D Hubs
• Local 3D printing in under two days
• Distributed and on-demand manufacturing
https://www.3dhubs.com/3dprint#?place=Paris,%20France&latitude=48.8534&longitude=2.3488&shipsToCountry=FR&shipsToState=IDF
• Personalisation of products + closer link producer-consumer
– Possibly extend the lifecycle of products
• Ease and low-cost printing?
– Print more than necessary, test out different models, throw out most.
“3DP could herald the apotheosis of consumerism, instant gratification, the throwaway society.
Or it could be at the heart of a whole new model of sustainable consumption.
Which of these comes to pass will be determined in large part by how we apply the technology.”
James Goodman, Forum for the Future, 2013
Environmental implications:
Behavioural change
Role for policy
• Policies should encourage low energy printing processes and low impact
materials with useful end of life. Policy can help through targeting
research and investment in these directions.
• Policies can also include voluntary certification schemes for 3D printers,
potentially combined with preferential purchasing programmes
• Policies to enable 3D printing of repair parts for legacy products without
existing repair supply chains, by clearing IP barriers.
• Policies frameworks may be needed to assess and address potential
environmental health and safety implications of 3D printing
THANK YOU
shardul.agrawala@oecd.org
www.oecd/org/environment
@OECD_ENV
The presentation draws on a chapter (by J. Faludi, N.Cline-Thomas & S. Agrawala) in the forthcoming OECD publication “The Next Production Revolution: Implications for Governments and Business”.
Sources for images and quotes are listed below:
• Slide 3:
– http://3dprintingfromscratch.com/3dcategory/3dbasics/
– http://www.deskeng.com/de/preparing-3d-models/
• Slide 4:
– http://theawesomer.com/formlabs-desktop-3d-printer/191892/
– https://www.sculpteo.com/blog/2014/05/13/right-plastic-production-method/
• Slide 5:
– http://www.3ders.org/articles/20140901-bigrep-to-showcase-giant-one-3d-printer-3d-printshow-london.html
– http://www.custompartnet.com/wu/ink-jet-printing
• Slide 6:
– http://wb-3d.com/physical-prototyping/machining/
– http://specialtypharma.com/Main/Back-Issues/Injection-Molding-in-the-Pharmaceutical-Industry-154.aspx
• Slide 9:
– https://www.designnews.com/materials-assembly/3d-printing-now-good-enough-final-spare-car-parts/81594181945351
– http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/3d-printings/
– https://3dprint.com/55151/organovo-kidney-tissue/
– https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/dec/09/3d-printed-electric-car
– http://inhabitat.com/worlds-first-3d-printed-house-under-construction-in-amsterdam/
– http://www.3dprinterscanada.com/fullcure-hearing-aid-materials.php
– https://i.materialise.com/blog/3d-printing-in-titanium-still-going-strong/
– http://news.thomasnet.com/imt/2014/11/25/hybrid-manufacturing-gives-am-a-needed-output-boost
– http://www.justdrones.co.uk/media/wysiwyg/white-drone-slider.png
Sources
• Slide 16: http://www.gereports.com/post/119370423770/jet-engines-with-3d-printed-parts-power-next-gen/
• Slide 17:
– http://uk.businessinsider.com/biotech-startup-trying-to-stop-rhino-poaching-2016-9?r=US&IR=T
– http://www.3ders.org/articles/20150702-lab3d-unveils-3d-parallel-printing-lightweight-energy-efficient-facade-construction.html
• Slide 18:
– https://www.iconfinder.com/icons/41992/bin_garbage_recycle_trash_icon
– http://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/delivery-truck_45880
• Slide 21: http://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/delivery-truck_45880
• Slide 22: http://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/barrow-with-construction-materials_46316
• Slide 23: http://www.freeiconspng.com/free-images/recycle-icon-png-4214
• Slide 24: https://www.filabot.com/collections/filabot-core
• Slide 26: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.5b04983
• Slide 27:
– https://3dprint.com/103953/uc-riverside-study-toxicity/
– http://wfarm4.dataknet.com/static/resources/icons/set73/1c46a7dd.png
• Slide 28:
– http://www.plateconference.org/print-repair-opportunities-constraints-3d-printing-replacement-parts/
– https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/dd/2b/f0/dd2bf04628e60e3e23bfe22e6a0f7769.jpg
• Slide 29: https://www.3dhubs.com/3dprint#?place=Paris,%20France&latitude=48.8534&longitude=2.3488&shipsToCountry=FR&shipsToState=IDF
• Slide 30: https://www.forumforthefuture.org/blog/%E2%80%98momo%E2%80%99-can-3d-printing-be-sustainable
Sources