HP Innovation Journal Issue 11: Winter 2018 | Page 51

SUSTAINABILITY
AND THE FOURTH
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
How 3D printing will transform the way
we design, make, and distribute products
John Ortiz, Director of Product Stewardship, HP
Nate Hurst, Chief Sustainability and Social Impact Officer, HP
Since the late 1700s, the world has experienced three
major industrial revolutions. From the advent of mechanical
production in the 1700s and early 1800s, to the introduction
of mass production in the late 1800s, to the advancement
of production automation in the mid-1900s, each
revolution has had a lasting impact on manufacturing
processes, economic growth, and overall living conditions
around the world.
Today we are on the cusp of the next industrial revolution.
Focused on digital manufacturing and smart production,
the Fourth Industrial Revolution will be driven by several
new and disruptive technologies, including 3D printing,
which will fundamentally change how we conceive, design,
produce, distribute, and repair nearly everything. Poised to
disrupt the $12 trillion global manufacturing industry by
digitizing whole supply chains and production processes, 3D
printing, also known as additive manufacturing, will usher
in a new phase of sustainable design and manufacturing that
reduces environmental impact, reinvents traditional supply
chains, and transforms whole economies and societies.
LOWERING THE ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT OF MANUFACTURING
Traditional manufacturing processes were designed with
little thought to the environment. An excessive use of
raw materials, high energy consumption, and poor waste
management have taken a toll on the planet. 3D printing
helps break that cycle by removing waste and ensuring the
reuse of materials. The result is reduced costs per part,
decreased energy and resource consumption, and lower
greenhouse gas emissions.
Additive manufacturing reduces the amount of materials,
time, and costs needed to make a finished part by enabling
users to realize complex shapes or redesign complex
assemblies into a single part. In addition to using fewer
materials, 3D printing ensures that parts are lighter in
weight, stronger, and cheaper to transport.
HP has already realized these benefits during the production
of parts for one of its HP Latex printers. Using 3D
technology to replace an aluminum part with a redesigned
3D-printed nylon part, HP achieved a 93% decrease in
weight, a 95% reduction in GHG emissions, and a 50%
drop in costs.
Unlike most traditional manufacturing processes, additive
manufacturing can also reduce resource consumption
through materials reusability. Materials engineered for HP
Multi Jet Fusion technology are designed, in many cases,
to deliver higher reusability than industry norms. For
example, HP 3D High Reusability PA 12, which is designed
to allow reuse of surplus powder batch after batch, delivers
consistent performance while achieving 80% surplus powder
reusability. 1 And HP is partnering with our early customers
to develop materials that will enable used parts to be
recycled, once again reducing materials consumption.
SUSTAINABLE IMPACT
49