Sewing the digital thread for more sustainable AM
Summary
For example, Odette Lunettes, a Belgian brand known for its unique frames, has been leveraging 3D printing to both accelerate the time-to-market for new designs to keep up with changing trends and cut back on wasted materials and resources through a made-to-order model. The brand has worked with Materialise to bring this solution to life, a journey that took only two months to develop and launch, in large part thanks to the capabilities of AM and an optimized digital design process. “With 3D printing and PA11 together, we are really able to deliver on that commitment and produce frames that are both fashionable and sustainable.” According to Materialise, this is just one side of the story: digital solutions can also help to minimize waste by optimizing the additive manufacturing process itself. As Materialise sums it up: “No matter which technology you use, it’s possible to minimize how much material you use and the amount of energy your machines consume through software automation tools.” More specifically, digital thread tools like Magics Nester enables SLS users to nest more parts in a single build without compromising print quality, thus maximizing material and process efficiency, while e-Stage has a couple sustainable benefits, including less resin consumption through minimized supports and more efficient data preparation and finishing. Put another way, this data can be used as a form of continuous feedback, which enables manufacturers to keep improving processes to meet important goals like sustainability targets.