Is 3D Printing Eco friendly ?

Unlike, most of the technologies in their earlier and disposal stages, inculpate heavy environment pollution, 3D Printing technology has far less negative impact on our environment. It is highly eco-friendly process with a much lesser carbon footprint.

If we look at the entire life cycle of traditional manufacturing processes; starting from extracting raw material, assembling, refining, manufacturing, maintenance to end product, 3D Printing takes an unassailable lead in terms of carbon footprint. Apart from completely eliminating the process of drilling, cutting and milling, 3d Printing also has minimum wastage compared to other techniques. Wastage in 3D Printing is minimum as the model is printed layer by layer, needing excess material only for support structure. The environmental cost of assembling, transporting, maintaining and storing are nearly eliminated. The whole agenda behind 3D Printing is to produce affordable product in an efficient and effective manner.

However, it is true that heating and melting of plastic during the process emit fumes but technology has proved an uninterrupted endeavour towards 3D Printing eco friendly manufacturing by working eliminating the risk through various filtration in the machine itself. One more improvement is the use of PLA i.e., a corn based biodegradable plastic that not only has considerably less toxic fumes but also promise eco friendly 3D Printing in future in terms of disposal.

3D Printers do rely on Plastic for printing but that is only for heavy desktop based printers. The industrial grade printers have unlimited possibilities of printing using materials varying from ceramics, wood, glass. Studies show that energy consumption for both 3D Printing and traditional methods are same but casting produces more CO2. 3D Printing means producing roughly 50% less CO2.

Improved and greener 3D Printed products will beat on the use of recycle material and also on managing, reducing and eliminating waste.
Overall impact and potential of eco friendly technology — 3D Printing is bright. This is technology is believed to be revolutionary and expected to grow bigger and greener.