Stratasys has launched SAF ReLife, a software-based solution designed to transform waste PA12 powder from other additive manufacturing technologies into high-quality parts.
Described as a potential breakthrough in making additive manufacturing more sustainable, SAF ReLife is said to be able to repurpose waste PA12 powder from powder bed fusion machines for use on the Stratasys H350 3D printing system.
Stratasys says the new technology will help to 'significantly lower the cost-per-part' of additive manufacturing, while also reducing the overall carbon footprint per build.
Since developing the software platform, Stratasys has provided early access to Spanish service bureau Wehl Green, with the company reporting savings of 20% in total cost per part, a 'substantial' reduction in waste, and turnaround times of around 48 hours. To further assess the SAF ReLife's environmental impact, Fraunhofer IPA has carried out a third-party Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The study is said to have revealed that repurposing PA12 waste from powder bed print processes in SAF production can reduce carbon footprint up to 89% compared to standard production with polyamide 12 material.
"SAF ReLife gives customers a unique ability to make high-quality parts with powder considered waste from other polymer powder bed fusion processes,” said Neil Hopkinson, Vice President, Additive Manufacturing Technology, Stratasys. “Our patented unidirectional print-and-fuse architecture and thermal control uniquely enable this capability at production volumes."
"By utilising the SAF ReLife technology, we’ve cut production costs while producing parts that meet strict industrial specifications. It’s a game-changer for our competitiveness,” said Javier García, Manager and Co-founder, Wehl Green. “Thanks to Stratasys’ SAF ReLife project, we’ve been able to turn PA12 waste into high-quality parts. This circular economy approach has reduced our environmental impact while maintaining top-tier product standards.”
"Our life cycle assessment demonstrates that Stratasys' SAF ReLife PA12 solution can reduce the carbon footprint of the reference print job by 43% with the German electricity mix and by as much as 89% when powered by renewable energy sources, compared to standard PA12," said Chantal Rietdorf, M.Sc., Research Associate at Fraunhofer.
A Stratasys press release included the following research data and assumptions:
- The system boundaries were defined as cradle-to-gate, with the functional unit specified as one reference print job*.
- Energy consumption measurements were taken at the Fraunhofer IPA for the reference print job.
- Material consumption data was obtained from the build report. For the standard PA12 a new powder share of 30% was assumed and for ReLife PA12 a share of 100%.
- The background data modeling for HAF and energy consumption utilized the Ecoinvent 3.9 database.
- The emission factor for standard PA12 was sourced from the literature, while the environmental impacts of SAF ReLife PA12 were accounted as zero, as it is a byproduct of another process (London, Michael B. (2020): Cradle-to-Gate Life Cycle Assessment of Multi-Jet Fusion 3D Printing. Master’s Thesis, University of Michigan, Michigan).
- The greenhouse gas emissions were calculated using the GWP100 IPCC2013 impact assessment method.
