Environmental life cycle analysis of distributed 3-D printing and conventional manufacturing of polymer products

From RepRap
Revision as of 15:56, 3 February 2019 by J.M.Pearce (talk | contribs) (→‎Method)
Jump to: navigation, search
Sunhusky.png By Michigan Tech's Open Sustainability Technology Lab.

Wanted: Students to make a distributed future with solar-powered open-source RepRap 3-D printing and recyclebot recycling.
Contact Dr. Joshua Pearce or Apply here
 MOST on RepRap: Projects and Publications], Methods, Lit. reviews
Twitter updates @ProfPearce

OSL.jpg
----
This page is part of an international project hosted by MOST to use RepRap 3-D printing to make OSAT for sustainable development. Learn more.

Research: Open source 3-D printing of OSAT • RecycleBot • LCA of home recycling • Green Distributed Recycling • Ethical Filament • LCA of distributed manufacturing • RepRap LCA Energy and CO2 • Solar-powered RepRaps • solar powered recyclebot • Feasibility hub • Mechanical testing • Lessons learned • MOST RepRap Build

Make me: Want to build a MOST RepRap? - Start here! • Delta Build Overview:MOST • Athena Build Overview • MOST metal 3-D printer • Humanitarian Crisis Response 3-D Printer


Source

Greenreprap.jpg

Megan Kreiger and Joshua M. Pearce (2013). Environmental Life Cycle Analysis of Distributed 3-D Printing and Conventional Manufacturing of Polymer Products, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering,1 (12), (2013) pp. 1511–1519. DOI: 10.1021/sc400093k Open access

Discussion on how 3D printing is green on Living on Earth - PRI's Environmental News Magazine - Listen

Abstract

With the recent development of the RepRap, an open-source self-replicating rapid prototyper, low-cost 3-D printing is now a technically viable form of distributed manufacturing of polymer-based products. However, the aggregate environmental benefits of distributed manufacturing are not clear due to scale reductions and the potential for increases in embodied energy. To quantify the environmental impact of distributed manufacturing using 3-D printers, a life cycle analysis was performed on three plastic products. The embodied energy and emissions from conventional large-scale production in low-labor cost countries and shipping are compared to experimental measurements on a RepRap with and without solar photovoltaic (PV) power fabricating products with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polylactic acid (PLA). The results indicate that the cumulative energy demand of manufacturing polymer products can be reduced by 41-64% (55-74% with PV) and concomitant emission reductions using distributed manufacturing with existing low-cost open-source 3-D printers when using <25% fill PLA. Less pronounced positive environmental results are observed with ABS, which demands higher temperatures for the print bed and extruder. Overall, the results indicate that distributed manufacturing using open-source 3-D printers has the potential to have a lower environmental impact than conventional manufacturing for a variety of products.

See Also

In the News

3D Print. Save the Planet.
Error in widget YouTube: Unable to load template 'wiki:YouTube'
Retrieved from "https://reprap.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Environmental_life_cycle_analysis_of_distributed_3-D_printing_and_conventional_manufacturing_of_polymer_products&oldid=184864"