The best way to deal with waste is to find a new life for it, and Ford is leading the way when it comes to tackling 3D printer waste. The company is working with HP to help turn all those leftovers into something bigger; car parts.
Ford and HP, Working Together to Reuse 3D Printer Waste
The news of this collaboration broke on the Ford Media Center website. Ford is now re-using the powder you get when you 3D print something. This powder usually gets tossed away, but Ford wants to repurpose it into working truck parts.
Of course, Ford couldn’t achieve this alone. That’s why the company teamed up with HP to identify where the waste is created, what it’s made of, and how Ford can repurpose it into something much more useful.
Given that a lot of industries use the power of 3D printing these days, the issue of leftover dust is very much real. And while HP designs its machines to be as efficient as possible, there’s still that little bit left over.
Ellen Jackowski, who works at HP as the chief sustainability and social impact officer, had this to say:
You get more sustainable manufacturing processes with 3D, but we are always striving to do more, driving our industry forward to find new ways to reduce, reuse and recycle powders and parts. Our collaboration with Ford extends the environmental benefits of 3D printing even further, showcasing how we are bringing entirely different industries together to make better use of spent manufacturing materials, enabling a new circular economy.
Ford will scoop up all the remaining dust and use it in an injection mold. This mold will then produce truck parts, which Ford claims will be sturdy and strong enough for the job.
We’re not sure when you’ll be able to hop into a vehicle built using 3D printed waste, but hopefully, this technology will become the new way to help reduce how much we use on a daily basis.
One Man’s Waste Is Another Man’s Truck
With 3D printing becoming the next big thing, it also means that there’s a lot of printer-related waste being made. Ford and HP are leading the way by turning the powder into truck parts, but will this inspire other companies to find ways to reuse printer waste?
If you’re in the mood to print something in 3D, why not try the Biqu B1? We recently reviewed it and gave it a gleaming 9.5 out of 10.
Image Credits: OlegRi / Shutterstock.com and SkyPics Studio / Shutterstock.com