Materialise Introduces 3D Printing Service Using up to 100% Re-Used Powder

“3D printing has established itself as a powerful and sustainable manufacturing solution for the production of smaller, customized parts by enabling localized production, but it is vital that our industry continues to invest in new ways to make the 3D printing process itself more sustainable”, said Jurgen Laudus, vice president and general manager of Materialise Manufacturing. “Through innovations like our Bluesint PA 12 service, Materialise empowers its customers to make a choice for sustainability.”

With selective laser sintering, the second most used 3D printing technology*, up to 70 percent of the powder is down-cycled or becomes waste. With Bluesint this waste powder can be given a second life to print new parts, creating a path toward eliminating waste in 3D printing.

Bluesint PA 12 also presents an opportunity to reduce CO2 emissions. The production of each kilogram of standard PA 12 powder generates more than seven kilograms of CO2. By reducing the need for new material production, Bluesint PA 12 enables a decrease of CO2 emissions from powder production of approximately 30 percent. If half of all parts that are printed globally using PA 12 selective laser sintering, were printed using Bluesint PA 12, this would reduce CO2 emissions from 3D printing by more than 2,800 tons per year, the equivalent of an average passenger vehicle driving more than 11 million kilometers (7 million miles).

The availability of Materialise’s Bluesint PA 12 service follows an extensive beta program for selected customers. The Maggie Program, a Belgium-based non-profit organization that builds multi-functional shelters for local communities, participated in the testing program for the production of their shelters.

“We rely on the flexibility of 3D printing to address some of the manufacturing challenges we faced for the production of certain parts of our shelters”, says Benjamin Denef, CEO and Founder of Maggie Program vzw and DMOA architects. “With Bluesint PA 12, Materialise now gives us the possibility to manufacture these parts in a more sustainable way with similar mechanical properties. We are always looking for new ways to reduce our environmental footprint and Bluesint PA 12 allows us to make a manufacturing choice not only based on technical specifications but also on the environmental impact.”

About Materialise

Materialise incorporates three decades of 3D printing experience into a range of software solutions and 3D printing services, which together form the backbone of the 3D printing industry. Materialise’s open and flexible solutions enable players in a wide variety of industries, including healthcare, automotive, aerospace, art and design, and consumer goods, to build innovative 3D printing applications that aim to make the world a better and healthier place. Headquartered in Belgium, with branches worldwide, Materialise combines the largest group of software developers in the industry with one of the largest 3D printing facilities in the world. For additional information, please visit: www.materialise.com.