Effective circulation system for materials in additive manufacturing

Project time: 2017 – 2018

Budget: 715 000 kronor

Funding: SIP Produktion2030

The project aims to test the idea of an effective circulation system for material waste from additive manufacturing. Our goal is to map the prerequisites for closer collaboration between material suppliers and additive manufacturers, including new business models, partnerships and logistics solutions.

Additive manufacturing yields a large amount of material waste – up to 50% –  which may represent more than half of its environmental impact, but also a significant part of the production cost. We estimate that the material cost of plastic additive production could be reduced by 10-30% if waste was recycled, in a close collaboration between material suppliers and manufacturing industry. The project aims to test an idea on designing an effective circulation system for material waste from additive manufacturing through a closer collaboration between material suppliers and additive manufacturers, including new business models, partnerships and logistics solutions. The market of additive manufacturing is a relatively new, but strongly increasing segment. By designing a system for efficient circulation of materials (eg waste and prototypes) early in this growth phase, Swedish industry can become competitive in the field, with a more economically and environmentally sustainable production. The system includes a business model providing incentives for the entire value chain in additive manufacturing, to contribute to effective circulation. The project will focus on plastic materials for additive manufacturing, but the possibilities to apply the idea/system on metals and ceramics will also be analyzed, to some extent. Technical, economic and system requirements for realizing a circulation system will be tested in collaboration with industrial partners.

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