Rapid prototyping: energy and environment in the spotlight

Purpose - To discuss integration of the rapid prototyping environmental aspects with the primary focus on electrical energy consumption. Design/methodology/approach - Various manufacturing parameters have been tested on three rapid prototyping systems: Thermojet (3DS), FDM 3000 (Stratasys) and EOSINT M250 Xtended (EOS). The objective is to select sets of parameters for reduction of electrical energy consumption. For this, a part is manufactured in several orientations and positions in the chamber of these RP systems. For each test, the electrical power is noted. Finally, certain rules are proposed to minimize this electrical energy consumption during a job. Findings - It is important to minimize the manufacturing time but there is no general rule for optimization of electrical energy consumption. Each RP system must be tested with energy consumption considerations under the spotlight. Research limitations/implications - The work is only based on rapid prototyping processes. The objective is to take into consideration the complete life-cycle of a rapid prototyped part: manufacturing of raw material as far as reprocessing of waste. Practical implications - Reduction of electrical energy consumption to complete a job. Originality/value - Currently, environmental aspects are not well studied in rapid prototyping.