
In the world of additive manufacturing (AM), sustainability and cost-efficiency are becoming more and more important.
Stratasys has introduced a game-changing solution with its SAF PA12 ReLife product, designed to address the significant issue of waste powder in powder bed fusion (PBF) operations, with 3-D printers such as the H350. Its innovative approach not only reduces environmental impact but also offers substantial cost savings to users.
Offering cost-effective and industrial-scale 3-D printing, selective absorption fusion (SAF) 3-D printers use a counter-rotating roller to coat powder layers onto a print bed where high energy-absorption HAF fluid is selectively jetted to image the part layers. Industrial piezo-electric print heads jet single or multiple droplets of fluid according to the part requirement for fine detail or large areas. Using infrared energy radiated from an IR lamp, the imaged layers and underlying particles are fused across the span of the print bed.
The market for the Stratasys H350 with SAF PA12 ReLife is vast, with potential customers including large-scale 3-D print service providers, automotive companies and large industrial and consumer companies. These organisations generate significant amounts of PA12 waste annually and are seeking environmentally-friendly and financially attractive solutions.
Available in the UK from
Laser Lines Ltd, SAF PA12 ReLife is a pioneering solution that enables the re-use of waste PA12 powder on the H350 machine platform. This process involves refreshing used waste powder with virgin material, enabling the production of high-quality parts with minimal material costs. But the stand-out appeal of ReLife is that users can also use old powder on its own, or old powder several times and then add ‘fresher’ but used powder to it, and it still produces excellent parts.
Major challengeWaste powder from selective laser sintering (SLS) or multi jet fusion (MJF) 3-D printing with PA12 is a major challenge for large-scale PBF operations. Globally, approximately 2,000 tonnes of unfilled SLS PA12 waste and 400-650 tonnes of MJF PA12 waste are generated every year, but Stratasys has identified an opportunity to turn this waste into usable parts for prototyping, fixtures, holders and more. The biggest source of carbon savings comes from re-using PA12 powder, with 1kg of PA12 saved from landfill equating to a reduction of 6.9kg of CO
2 emissions in future PA12 production.
SAF PA12 ReLife offers several key benefits including cost efficiency, environmental impact and flexibility. By using waste PA12 powder, the material cost is virtually eliminated, resulting in up to 20% lower cost-per-part compared to standard PA12 on the Stratays H350 3-D printer. The re-use of PA12 powder also significantly reduces the carbon footprint. A lifecycle assessment by
Fraunhofer IPA demonstrated that the solution can reduce the carbon footprint of a reference 3-D printed job by 43% with the German electricity mix and by as much as 89% when powered by renewable energy sources.
Furthermore, the ReLife solution can be used with existing PBF powder processes, making it an easy extension to current operations. It also offers a dedicated ReLife software mode that can be purchased as an add-on to existing or new Stratasys H350 machines.
Early adopters of the SAF PA12 ReLife in Europe have reported significant benefits.
Wehl Green in Spain and prototyping specialists
Modelltechnik Rapid Prototyping GmbH in Germany have successfully turned PA12 waste into high-quality parts, reducing their environmental impact while maintaining top-tier product standards. The Fraunhofer IPA in Germany has also highlighted the substantial CO
2 savings achieved with this solution.