ExOne launches #MakeMetalGreen social media campaign
May 15, 2020
The ExOne Company, North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, USA, has launched a new #MakeMetalGreen social media campaign in order to educate manufacturers about the sustainability benefits of metal Binder Jetting technology.
Binder Jetting is an Additive Manufacturing process which uses an industrial printhead to deposit a liquid binder onto a thin layer of powdered particles, layer-by-layer, until an object is formed.
ExOne states that its systems currently additively manufacture more than twenty metals, ceramics and composite materials, and states that Binder Jetting is a sustainable manufacturing technology for the following reasons:
- Fabricates metal objects with little to no waste, offering a dramatic improvements over traditional manufacturing methods
- Enables all-new lightweight metal part designs, including those that consolidate many pieces of a product into a single unit, while preserving function and strength
- Produces parts that can make cars, trucks, airplanes and other equipment more fuel-efficient and also dramatically shorten supply chains, consuming far less energy
According to ExOne, while other forms of AM can deliver some of these benefits, Binder Jetting is unique among AM processes because it can additively manufacture parts at high speeds and volumes that make a meaningful difference to long-term sustainability efforts.
“Now is the time for manufacturers to rethink how they manufacture metal parts, and take a new look at how binder jet 3D printing can make metal parts and products more sustainably,” stated John Hartner, ExOne CEO. “One important aspect of sustainability is shortening supply chains. Our technology can consolidate several parts into one, eliminating extra manufacturing steps, and also reduce the need for parts to be shipped around the world for final assembly.”
Hartner added, “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of de-risking supply chains and moving toward a decentralised supply chain, especially for critical parts. ExOne can work with manufacturers to ensure critical metal parts are prepared for 3D printing in an emergency and to help manufacturers redesign their parts for metal 3D printing in the first place.”
