The Pearce Research Group at Michigan Tech has made yet another significant step in making 3D printing a more sustainable practice. Though the university lab has made a good deal of progress in developing low-cost 3D printing hardware – including a plastic-recycling filament extruder, a solar-powered 3D printer, and a sub-$2,000 metal 3D printer – some of its most important contributions to the sustainability movement lay in research and standards.
Not only has Dr. Joshua Pearce and his lab authored studies elucidating the extreme cost effectiveness of 3D printing, over direct purchasing, consumer goods and lab equipment, but the professor’s group has also published a fair trade filament standard, to push for ethical feedstock production. …
The original post New & Improved Recycling Standards for the 3D Printing Era appeared first on 3D Printing Industry.