We’ve seen 3D printed shoes made from recycled materials before, but not a true pair of running shoes yet. But New Zealand design engineer Rik Olthuis is working to change that. The 22-year-old Massey University graduate has long had a passion for designing shoes, and designed a pair of completely biodegradable athletic shoes in 2019, during…
The construction industry is one of the world’s largest emitters of carbon dioxide. Whether it can reduce those emissions depends on replacing its most common building material. Concrete ranks as the most popular construction material in the world. But its key ingredient, cement, is responsible for 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions each year. Scientists want…
For quite a while now, scientists have been developing technologies that explore both the moon and mars. from 3D-printed mars habitats to lunar toilets, news regarding space travel advancements have flooded our streams, having specialist trying to figure out if our species would be able to live and survive in another planet or on our own satellite.…
3D printer manufacturer Stratasys is working with fashion designers through the European Union funded Re-FREAM project to make the production of fashion more sustainable. The company's PolyJet 3D printing technology played an integral role in designer Julia Koerner's new ARID collection which focuses on material efficiency and sustainability. The ARID collection, which does not involve any…
Sustainability and closed-loop manufacturing are becoming an increasingly important topic for Earth-based manufacturing, but a new study has shown that these same principles can be lifted to model extraterrestrial travel as well. Using a ubiquitous, organic polymer called chitin, found in everything from fungi fibers to shellfish shells, a team of researchers from Singapore has devised…
As global communities grapple with the far-reaching impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we at 3M remain focused on uncovering and implementing science-based solutions to promote public health and maximize positive impact. We’re applying our innovative technologies and collaborating with partners to confront COVID-19 with the same attention and energy we use to advance sustainability efforts and…
Relativity Space and 6K announced a strategic partnership to prove true sustainability in additive manufacturing production. The partnership is intended to create a closed loop supply chain where certified scrap materials produced at Relativity are turned into powder by 6K, which can then be reprinted by Relativity. The two companies will also explore new materials created…
When the greatest share of a product’s environmental impact comes from producing its feedstock, selecting the right material is critical. For 3D printing and manufacturing in plastic, biopolymer could be the first step toward a more sustainable model. The New Plastics Economy project of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has three tenets: One, plastics in use should…
The automotive industry is the third-largest consumer of polymer materials after the packaging and construction industries. By using engineered plastics with recycled content, automotive companies around the world are becoming less dependent on the consumption of finite resources. In response to that demand, LANXESS, a leading global supplier of specialty chemicals and polymer materials based in Cologne, Germany,…
Researchers at Germany’s University of Freiburg may have found a way to make 3D printing a bit more environmentally friendly — by printing with a new material best described as a wood-based biopaste. After all, who needs boring, unsustainable plastics when you’ve got an alternative that works impressively well, made out of wood biopolymers cellulose and…