Can additive manufacturing save the world? The answer was hotly debated during AM Day at PTC

Sustainability requirements in the manufacturing industry are rapidly increasing and interest in metal-based additive manufacturing (AM) is high. But how does the manufacturing process fare from a sustainability perspective? This was one of several questions raised during the AM day when industrial companies met at the Production Technology Center to learn more and share experiences.

Many industrial companies are grappling with choices on the journey towards more sustainable production. To spread knowledge and share experiences, the AM Day was organized at the Production Technology Center for the first time at the end of March. The theme was how additive manufacturing stands from a sustainability perspective and what opportunities and challenges the technology provides.

- Industrial companies need to start thinking about transformation today, because in the near future, sustainability issues will be crucial to their competitiveness. Customer demands will become increasingly stringent. If you manufacture products that have a long lifespan and contribute to global warming throughout their lifetime, then it is extra urgent, says Leif Johansson, Innovatum Science Park, one of the organizers.

Around 40 people came to discuss and learn from other companies' experiences and researchers' studies. Representatives of Volvo Cars, GKN Aerospace, Procada, Siemens Energy, Sandvik Additive Manufacturing, the Vehicle Components Group and researchers from University West gave a broad picture of sustainability work. Here are some highlights from the presentations:

Claes Fredriksson, researcher at University West, has for several years studied additive manufacturing from a sustainability perspective such as material extraction, transportation, energy consumption during production and more.

- The manufacturing industry accounts for over 14% of greenhouse gas emissions in Sweden. Additive manufacturing can be a sustainable choice, but of course it does not solve the whole problem. Which technology is best depends on the type of products and manufacturing. In some cases, traditional manufacturing techniques may be a better alternative," said Claes Fredriksson.

Sustainability as important as safety

For Volvo Cars today, sustainability is as important as safety. The company has the ambition to be climate neutral by 2040 and sees additive manufacturing as an important part of its sustainability efforts.

- We started using additive manufacturing in 1988 and have gradually expanded its applications since then. For example, we make prototypes, tools and spare parts using AM. Our challenges are our series production and wide range of materials," said Frederic Tholence, Volvo Cars.  

The gas turbine manufacturer Siemens Energy in Finspång has taken the step from using AM only for repairs and prototyping to today also mass producing components for gas turbines.

- AM technology means we can reduce the weight of the products and manufacture more complex geometries that give the gas turbines more efficient cooling. With AM, it is also possible for us to repair a component several times," said Mikael Berntzén, Siemens Energy. 

GKN Aerospace has been using AM technology for the production and repair of aero engine components for several years and in 2017 began conducting sustainability assessments for manufacturing technologies, both different variants of AM and traditional production technologies.

- By looking at the whole life cycle of the product, it allows us to make sustainable choices," said Johanna Nylander, GKN Aerospace.

Minimized material consumption

Technology company Procada develops system solutions for industrial companies investing in additive manufacturing.

- AM can be the right choice for companies manufacturing large components in expensive materials. Above all, material waste can be minimized and the material that is left over can be recycled. However, a prerequisite is that AM technology provides as high quality as with traditional manufacturing, said Petter Hagqvist, Procada.

The day ended with interesting discussions and workshops where several production processes were demonstrated in the lab environment. One of the participants was Daniel Karlsson from Jobro Sheet Metal Technology which manufactures complex sheet metal parts.

- We are at the beginning of our transition journey, so it was valuable to learn more about how AM technology can be used," said Daniel Karlsson.

- We hope that AM Day will become an annual forum where we raise these issues and learn from each other. Technological development is moving faster than ever and a changing world means new conditions. Industry and researchers must work in parallel to ensure that the Swedish manufacturing industry is well equipped for the transition," says Lennart Malmsköld from University West, which also organized the AM Day.