Additive Manufacturing and the Climate Crisis

Overview

Additive manufacturing allows industry to be more sustainable, efficient, versatile, and affordable over traditional manufacturing methods. In the face of rising concerns over greenhouse gas emissions, additive manufacturing provides a necessary advancement for industry to better meet requirements set forth to fight climate change by reducing emissions and waste byproducts.

Additive manufacturing has made significant improvements in the last decade, pushing the technology closer to widespread adoption as a new standard in manufacturing. Additive manufacturing has several advantages over traditional processes. Compared to traditional subtractive manufacturing techniques, additive manufacturing methods in many cases are more cost effective in material use, cheaper in labor, and cheaper in energy requirements to produce parts. Additive manufacturing additionally allows for more complex geometries to be printed than traditional subtractive manufacturing would allow. This can turn several traditionally manufactured parts to instead be printed in one part, reducing overall costs and time needed to turn around a product, while strengthening the assembly.

Additive manufacturing is also making strides to improve its print time in traditionally sized machines for parts and increasing printer size to better meet a wider base of manufacturing challenges. These challenges include large scale items, such as wind turbine blades, traditional metal turbines, car chassis, and structures for renewable energy, as well as printing replacement parts for traditional energy production plants. Additive has a base in today’s industry in the automotive and aerospace fields, designing and optimizing parts for serial production.

The Climate Crisis and Environment, Social and Governance Initiatives

Companies are being asked to lead the way by consumers and governments alike in the fight to stop greenhouse gas and global carbon dioxide emissions. Most recently in November of 2021, the UN Climate forum COP 26 released a set of goals urging for countries to push for reduction in coal, promotion of green energy initiatives, and further adoption of electric vehicles.

The American Environmental Protection Agency reports that 35 percent of all carbon emissions originate from transportation, and an additional 31 percent emerge from energy generation. To face growing concerns over climate change, businesses need to speed along the adoption of green energy technologies set about in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives.

While firms can be cognizant and seek through their ESG initiatives to reduce their levels of carbon emissions or greenhouse gas pollution, most of the pollution arises from Scope 3 (indirect) emissions sources in the supply chain. To meet both company and governmental regulation and environmental and sustainability goals, new processes for industry in all three Scopes must be explored. Additive manufacturing will allow for better green energy initiatives.

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Keywords: Additive Manufacturing, Additively Manufactured Electronics, Renewable Energy, Green Initiative, Climate Change, ARC Advisory Group.