3D printing-known as additive manufacturing (AM) to engineers-has generated considerable excitement about the opportunity for dramatic changes in manufacturing and significant, even transformative, environmental advance. This technology allows the creation of parts and products directly from raw material and digital 3D design data. The underlying processes operate by depositing material, usually layer-by-layer, without the need for molds, tools or dies.
Even though the technical principles underlying the technology are increasingly well analyzed, in-depth understanding of the dimensions of environmental impact is limited.
A special issue of Journal of Industrial Ecology, the Environmental Dimensions of Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing, contributes to filling that gap with the publication of cutting edge research. The Journal of Industrial Ecology is owned by Yale University and headquartered at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.
Articles in the issue are freely downloadable at http://bit.ly/JIE-3D.
The special issue contains studies of
· life cycle assessments (LCA) of AM processes and products
· Investigation of the process energy consumption of AM technologies
· Studies of operator exposure to printer emissions and hazardous materials.
· Examination of the sustainability benefits derived from the complex geometry parts enabled by the technology.
· Analysis of supply-chain issues of using the technology.
Funding for this special issue was provided by the Advanced Manufacturing Office of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Lounsbery Foundation, and General Electric. Martin Baumers (University of Nottingham), William Flanagan (AspireSustainability), Tim Gutowski (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), and Joost Duflou and Karel Kellens (KU Leuven) served as guest editors.
Reid Lifset
Research Scientist, Resident Fellow in Industrial Ecology
Editor-in-chief, Journal of Industrial Ecology
School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
Yale University
195 Prospect St
New Haven, CT 06511
reid.lifset@yale.edu
+1-203-432-6949 (tel)
@JIndEcol