Sustainable 3D Printing: Circular Economy & Reverse Engineering

Type of course:

Digital learning, Path

Language:

Duration:

1 hour, 30 minutes

Workload:

1.5 hour

Proficiency:

Beginner

Target:

Manager, Professionals, Pupils, Students, Workers

SUMMARY

This course offers a comprehensive introduction to sustainability in additive manufacturing, with a focus on circular economy principles and their application in 3D printing (3DP). Learners will explore key concepts such as how 3D printing can contribute to reducing the environmental impact of manufacturing by minimizing material waste, lowering energy consumption, and enabling more efficient production processes.

The course covers reverse engineering through the use of photogrammetry, where learners will learn to capture images and create 3D models using accessible tools like smartphones. Additionally, participants will delve into product design for Material Extrusion (MEX) 3D printing, understanding the specific design rules and challenges involved in this method.

The video below provides an overview of the key topics and objectives covered in this learning path:

Video created by the authors on Vyond, in accordance with their licenses. Subtitles added via VEED, a copyright-free video generator.

About The Author

Panos Stavropoulos is an Assistant Professor at the Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automation (LMS), University of Patras, Greece. He has been teaching as a Lecturer (2014-2018) and Assistant Professor (2018-present) on topics of Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing Processes. He has been coordinating and managing EITM projects and has been involved in lessons development on topics related to Manufacturing Processes.

Vasiliki Panagiotopoulou is a Senior Research Engineer at the Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automation (LMS) since 2020, with research interests focusing on Sustainability, and Circular Economy. She has extensive experience participating in various EITM education and innovation projects and developing educational content for multiple initiatives, including Demo4Green and SRC4i.

Katerina Paraskevopoulou is a Junior Research Engineer at the Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automation since 2023. Her experience in nuggets development for EITM Academy is mostly focusing on Sustainability, Circular Economy and Energy Efficiency, from previous EITM RIS project.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, learners will be able to explain the principles of sustainability and circular economy within the context of 3D printing.
By the end of the course, learners will be able to operate a smartphone in order to scan a simple object using photogrammetry.
By the end of the course, learners will be able to analyze and select appropriate sustainable materials for use in 3D printing based on environmental impact and use case scenarios.