The 3D printing industry has taken off over the last few years. In 2020, the digital manufacturing sector had a market size around $39B and is expected to grow up to $120B by year 2030. Additive manufacturing plays a major role in that market size.

As prices continue to become more affordable for materials and machines, 3D printing technology should continue to make up a bigger piece of the digital manufacturing pie. Currently, the professional and expensive resin, SLS,  and metal DMLS additive machines, are getting closer to meeting the performance of injection molding and CNC machining.

Most companies in this industry are trying to utilize these more advanced technologies over the traditionally used FDM printing, which is what comes to mind for most people when they think of 3D printing. Thankfully, there is a rise in 3D printing services that provide access to these professional technologies without a hefty investment.

The 3D printing service business model is all about fast turn-around with good quality parts. In most cases, 3D printing projects can completed with small 3D printers.But more and more often, 3D printing services are getting requests that small SLA and FDM printers cannot handle.

These customers want the highest quality possible with small production runs and a quick turnaround. This can not be properly accomplished on the small, desktop machines. Larger-format SLS, MJF, SLA machines, on the other hand, can meet quick turnaround times and product functional parts with amazing quality.

3D printing services also provide high end post-processing, such as the DyeMansion DM60 for coloring or the AMT PostPro3D for smoothing the parts. It is better for new customers in the industry to leverage the expertise of 3D printing services rather than taking on the workload themselves. Some of these large printers are half a million dollars, and that doesn’t even include the learning curve that comes with using the machine. Additionally, post-processing requires more money and knowledge as well.

3D Printing Green: Making it More Sustainable

The next phase for additive manufacturing is to make the technology more efficient and sustainable. That means making 3D printing process greener then it currently is. Currently, additive manufacturing is one of the more environmentally friendly manufacturing methods. That is because the materials available are oftentimes bio-compatible and made from recycled materials.

Nylon 11 is a great example. On the Multi Jet Fusion printer by HP, the Nylon material is made from a renewable raw material from vegetable castor oil.  The leftover material not utilized during the print is reusable, so waste is kept very low. In fat, 70-80% of material is recycled back through the process and used to produce other parts in the future. The remaining 30-20% is all unsintered powder or solid plastic. The unsintered powder is usually reused but some is still left over.

The entrance of HP 3D Printing technology to the market has added more competition for SLS and SLA machines. The price per part allows for cheaper parts to be manufactured with a quick turnaround, while material properties exceed other additive manufacturing techniques. SLS 3D printing, for example, is a polymer-based sintering process, typically generates more waste compared to HP 3D printers.

SLA technology typically offers 100% material reusability, but the number of parts that can be produced is sometime limited because of build volume limitations and complex part design, which requires support structures. SLA would not be considered a “green” technology because of the chemicals used for cleaning and the waste that comes with using supports. SLA technology is useful for prototyping, but not production of end-use parts. SLA also has an advantage on tolerance for a part, but is usually lacking in strength.

FDM machines are getting better at producing mechanical parts, but still do not have the same Z-axis strength that SLS or MJF offers, nor does it match the accuracy of SLA technology. FDM is sometimes the chosen method for quick runs and test fits, but even the carbon filled and reinforced processes don’t provide the same quality of the other processes mentioned above.

Best Way to be Green as 3D Printing Service Bureau

If 3D printing services are to provide greener options to clients, utilizing reusable materials and prioritizing SLS and MJF technologies needs to be the focus. There are companies out there dedicated to innovating 3D printing through the lens of sustainability.

XYZ Printing is a company that offers an open material ecosystem for the SLS printing process. They are able to leverage the fully used material HP PA12 powder and use it in their own SLS process. The parts come out an off white, so dyeing is the preferred method to keep consistency, but it offers a solution to the wasteful problem of unused material that is not able to be pushed back through the HP printing process. XYZ is also able run EOS PA2200 from the SLS process with the addition of 20% new mixture.

Most SLS 3D printing processes are less efficient than HP MJF technology. The amount of powder that is wasted on the these machines make them a less environmentally friendly additive manufacturing process. Not to mention HP MJF 3D printers are able to take better advantage of its build volume.

3D Printing Services Going Green

Making additive manufacturing industry greener and more eco-friendly is a must. It’s the one technology that could get us closest to a future of sustainably-focused manufacturing. After years of improvement, we’ve already made big changes that have pushed additive manufacturing into the mainstream as a fighting force for green manufacturing.

3D printing services will be at the forefront to make sure 3D printer manufacturers are prioritizing green practices and offering them to consumers. Watch this short video about some of the green manufacturing practices of this 3D printing service bureau: