Materialise
Bluesint PA12
Part printed using Bluesint PA12.
Materialise has announced the development a Selective Laser Sintering-based method that makes it possible to 3D print with up to 100% re-used powder.
Bluesint PA12 has been described as a material and manufacturing innovation and has come about as Materialise bids to ‘create a path’ towards eliminating waste in 3D printing. It follows a Lifecycle Analysis (LCA) carried out with BASF, which indicated that 3D printing has a bigger environmental impact compared to conventional manufacturing methods for large production volumes.
This LCA looked at the production of one million pairs of midsoles and assessed the environmental impact through all the states of the product life, comparing 3D printing with polyurethane casting. It found 3D printing had a ‘bigger impact on climate change’ and Materialise thus feels that further investment is required to enhance the sustainability of 3D printing technology.
Bluesint PA12 is one result of that reasoning. Parts produced via this method are said to boast similar mechanical properties to a standard PA12, but powder that would normally be wasted during the printing process - up to 50% with Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) technology - can now be reused, ‘allowing users to make a choice not only based on technical specifications but also on the environmental impact.’
“With Bluesint PA12, we are able to significantly reduce powder waste,” commented Jurgen Laudus, VP and General Manager of Materialise Manufacturing. “Bluesint PA12 represents a major step towards making 3D printing more sustainable and is an example of how we empower our customers to make a choice for sustainability.”
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Materialise has been working to develop more sustainable 3D printing processes for seven years at its research lab in Leuven, Belgium, tackling the ‘orange peel’ effect that is caused when using only reused powder in the SLS process. The orange peel effect is a surface texture problem caused by shrinkage that occurs when the powder cools down between two consecutive sintering processes. Typically, the work around is to mix used powder with fresh powder.
Recognising that this is not the most sustainable solution, Materialise engineers began deploying one laser to sinter the powder and the second to maintain the powder above a certain temperature threshold, which helped to prevent shrinking and result in a printed object with 100% recycled powder. Throughout 2021, Materialise is to operate several Laser Sintering machines running PA12 Bluesint, with selected customers, who have a focus on sustainability, being invited to harness its service offering for ‘diverse applications’. In the start-up beta phase alone, Materialise is aiming to re-use more than five tons of powder that would normally become waste.
“Many people view 3D printing as a positive force that helps companies to operate more ‘sustainably’,” offered Materialise CEO Fried Vancraen. “However, that’s simply not enough. As we enter the fourth decade of 3D printing, the question is not whether 3D printing is a sustainable manufacturing technology. The question becomes: what can we do to make 3D printing more sustainable?”
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