3D Printing Sucks? Not for Sustainable Product Design

 

No, not really. you caught me. Only parts of it does!

3D printing is possibly one of the greatest levellers in product design, but yes parts of it aren’t ideal.

Take us for instance; our printers (and our amazing collaborators) Have. Not. Stopped. Running.

In the past year, our trusty Bambu Lab printers have become part of the family.

For prototyping and design validation they have been worth more than their considerable weight in gold.

How incredible is it that for the equivalent of a month’s rent on a light industrial unit in Milton Keynes you can build almost anything quickly and cheaply?

They are energy efficient compared to traditional machinery and tooling, we can prototype without bulk production runs; every prototype is purposeful.

We only make enough for purpose so waste is cut to a minimum; we’ve printed dozens of prototypes for a fraction of the impact of one traditional production run!

This is not to mention the lower transportation emissions.

Even more, Bio based materials like PLA (derived from corn starch or sugarcane) and recycled filament made from plastic bottle based PETG are becoming mainstream.

BUT

We need to stay mindful in their use, we need to be conscious of the environmental implications, use them as intended and recycle whatever we can.

As the co-founder of a wellness company, there is another benefit:

the cathartic effects of removing the support materials.

It is strangely meditative, and if you value not getting plastic splinters, mindful.

There are few things more satisfying than pinching, pulling, twisting, and squeezing away those magical supports.

Sure, you get scratches and splinters.

Yes, your hoover gets clogged with tiny bits of plastic.

And of course a few expletives may fly.

But as part of a smaller environmental footprint for R&D, and making a new product from scratch in a more environmentally friendly way it’s all worth it!

Sustainability is more than materials and tools; it’s a mindset.

What do you think the future of 3D printing looks like?

 

Author: Daniel Hartshorn is Co Founder of Flowgreens and a specialist in executive career development. After years of supporting professionals through high stress career transitions, Daniel became deeply interested in the relationship between performance, wellbeing, and nervous system health. He believes sustainable success requires intentional recovery, not just ambition.