The State of Sustainability in 3D Printing: An Interview with AMGTA’s Sherri Monroe

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The State of Sustainability in 3D Printing: An Interview with AMGTA’s Sherri Monroe

The conversation around sustainability in additive manufacturing (AM) has grown increasingly sophisticated, moving beyond simple material savings to a broader examination of supply chain efficiency, lifecycle assessments, and energy consumption. The Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association (AMGTA) has positioned itself at the forefront of this discussion, facilitating research and collaboration among industry stakeholders. Sherri Monroe, Executive Director of AMGTA, spoke with 3DPrint.com about the organization’s mission, the complexities of sustainability in AM, and the need to redefine how the industry evaluates environmental impact as well as the economics.

Moving Beyond the Part-for-Part Comparison

Whereas 3D printing was once pitched as eco-friendly primarily for its reduced material waste, there are potentially more critical advantages the technology offers. Moreover, it’s not just about individual parts anymore. Instead, AM mandates a broader, systems approach to sustainability.

“I would say unequivocally additive practices—broader than additive manufacturing—are absolutely a more sustainable process, but that’s really when applied across an enterprise,” Monroe said. “If you’re just looking at a part, the production of that part may or may not be more sustainable when you’re just looking at it on a part-for-part basis.”

The tendency to assess sustainability by comparing an AM-produced component directly to a traditionally manufactured equivalent is, according to Monroe, a flawed approach. “We make a really big mistake of getting caught up in this part-for-part comparison because there’s so much that’s left out of that comparison that, quite often, possibly don’t even bother doing the calculation, you’ve already doomed yourself.”

Instead, she argues, a holistic view is necessary—one that considers factors such as inventory management, supply chain logistics, and production flexibility.

The Intersection of Sustainability and Business Efficiency

For many companies, sustainability is not the primary driver of AM adoption—but economic efficiency is. Monroe notes that sustainability and cost savings are often intertwined. She explained that whenever a company saves money—whether through material use reduction, energy efficiency, or waste minimization—there is usually a parallel reduction in environmental impact.

“Take Phase 3D, for example, who develop in-situ monitoring solutions. They can stop a build, avoid finishing a failed build. Their pitch, and it’s a good pitch, is how much money that’s going to save,” Monroe said. Anything you’re saving money on, you’re saving environmental impact on, whether it’s energy, material, whatever it is. If you’re saving money, you’re most likely having a reduced environmental impact as well.”

She recalled a similar perception at the Military AM Summit, where sustainability was not a primary topic. In contrast, the defense stakeholders were emphatic about resource efficiency. Whether companies are motivated by cost, regulatory compliance, or geopolitical considerations, sustainability and resilience are often two sides of the same coin.

“The end result is the same if you’re being resource efficient, you’re trying to save the planet, or you’re on a remote island in the middle of the Pacific and you just have limited supplies. That is, whether it’s the input—we only have a limited amount of source material—or you’re concerned about waste because the island is extremely small, and you have limited space.”

AMGTA’s Research and Findings

Backing up its mission of introducing sustainable practices into manufacturing, AMGTA has been conducting rigorous research to quantify the environmental benefits and challenges of AM. The organization has published five key studies to date:

• State of Knowledge on the Environmental Impacts of Metal Additive Manufacturing – A literature-based review published in November 2020 assessing the existing academic research on AM sustainability. The findings highlight that AM generally has a higher carbon footprint per kilogram of material processed than conventional manufacturing but offers advantages for lightweighting and part consolidation.
• Comparative Lifecycle Assessment of a Low-Pressure Turbine Bracket – This April 2023 study analyzed the environmental impact of an AM-produced turbine bracket in a GE CF6-80C2 jet engine. The results showed that while AM production has similar energy demands to traditional methods, the ability to lightweight parts leads to significant fuel savings over the lifetime of an aircraft.
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions Comparison: Binder Jetting vs. Casting – Conducted in partnership with Yale School of the Environment in August 2023, this study examined an HVAC component produced via binder jetting versus traditional casting. The findings indicated a 38% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions due to the lower energy demand of binder jetting.
• Material Jetting for Designer Goods – An October 2023 assessment of material jetting’s environmental footprint, revealing the technology’s potential for sustainable production in consumer goods applications, with benefits in reducing waste and optimizing material use.
• Energy Consumption in Metal AM Feedstock Production – This April 2024 study examined the energy requirements of metal powder production for AM and found that energy consumption varies significantly based on the atomization process and material selection, highlighting the need for process optimization.

These studies represent AMGTA’s commitment to data-driven sustainability advocacy, and Monroe hints that more research is on the way. “We’re working on a couple of things. We’re putting one together right now… it’s looking at tooling—using AM for tooling for traditional manufacturing, which I think is interesting. It’s not a ‘traditional versus AM’ topic; it’s both.”

The Need for a New Evaluation Framework

One of AMGTA’s upcoming projects seeks to establish a more comprehensive evaluation framework for AM sustainability. “Right now, we have carbon calculators, but really, they just compare making a given part two different ways—the traditional part and the additive part.” Monroe explained. Referring to the AMGTA report on the aircraft bracket, she continued, “We did a study on this part that goes on an airplane. We looked at the production of the part, and then we looked at the lightweighting on the airplane, saving jet fuel and environmental impact.”

However, an overlooked factor was durability. “Subsequent analysis proved that this part, the redesigned part, was actually more durable. So, if we were to go back and do that study now… the functional unit of the study maybe should have been the life of the airplane, because over the life of the airplane, we may need six of a traditionally made bracket and only four of the additive counterpart. That changes all the math.”

To account for such variables, AMGTA aims to develop a new methodology that moves beyond simple comparisons and factors in broader business and environmental considerations.

Looking Ahead

Monroe sees AMGTA’s role as facilitating collaboration and advancing sustainability knowledge across the industry. “We just kicked off an interview series that we recorded at Formnext that are coming out one a week overeight weeks. So we’re excited about that. Just another opportunity for members to share what they’re doing.”

The broader goal remains increasing AM adoption across industries, driven by the convergence of economic and environmental benefits. “Because we do believe additive, when practiced across the enterprise, is more sustainable, our goal is: let’s increase adoption.”

As AMGTA continues to expand its research efforts and advocacy, Monroe remains focused on the practical realities that drive change in the manufacturing sector. “We need to help companies see the full picture. That’s how we make sustainability a reality in additive manufacturing.”

February 11, 2025 at 03:27PM
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Michael Molitch-Hou