3098c0fbd44579e5863c6bf0e363fbe9.jpg

Cornwall-based student develops sustainable buttons using 3D printing Consumer Products

Buttons are ubiquitous, and most won’t think twice about the small garment essentials. But today, most buttons are made from plastic and most are not recycled, which means that they to pose an environmental challenge. Thankfully, there is a group that is thinking about how to make buttons and plastic clothing features more sustainable, and one solution lies with 3D printing and injection molding.

b83f2b34fc02006acfe7aa3df07fbbf1.jpg

Creative ways 3D printing is advancing sustainability Sustainability

As we have seen and will continue to explore in our AM Focus this month, there are many facets to the topic of Sustainability within additive manufacturing. On the one hand, additive manufacturing opens up opportunities for more sustainable processes in many industries through the production of design-optimized and lightweight parts. Due to its additive nature, the technology also tends to result in minimal material waste. On the other hand, it is important to consider how manufacturing operations within AM have an ecological impact and how they can be improved. Beyond the industrial side of AM, there are also many ways in which 3D printing and sustainability have become linked, in large part thanks to the ingenuity of visionaries who understand the need for ecological solutions in all parts of our lives.

9e281ea6ea7eccea872ccf06cbec54a7.jpg

Nano Dimension and HENSOLDT make breakthrough in electronics 3D printing Electronics

Global security and defense company HENSOLDT has achieved a milestone in 3D printing electronics in cooperation with Israeli leader in additively manufactured electronics Nano Dimension. The companies, which have been working together since 2016 to advance electronics AM, have assembled the world’s first 10-layer printed circuit board (PCB) with high-performance electronic structures soldered to both outer sides. The 3D printed PCB, made from a new dielectric polymer ink and conductive ink, is the first to successfully use soldering for a two-sided component.

1e5509c1f376fc9d77e26a3372631fef.jpg

Have 3D printed tabletop game miniatures finally come of age with HERO FORGE? Consumer Products

Coming out of a successful crowdfunding round at the beginning of 2020, HERO FORGE is a website for customizing and 3D printing tabletop miniatures and statuettes. Many have tried to build a business model around 3D printed figures before, but HERO FORGE may come at a time when the technology is finally ready to support adequately support it. I tested the website and it really does provide a seamless and fun, very much personalized, experience.