CONSIDERING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

The atum3D DLP printing process offers one of the most material-efficient manufacturing methods in 3D printing today.

The print process starts with designing a 3D model and creating a print job. Additive manufacturing technology like atum3D DLP printing allows designers to create previously unproducible parts, which incorporate for example an internal honeycomb structure for strength. Parts that had to be solid before can now be designed to be just as strong, but hollow and much lighter - saving a lot of raw material.

The next step is creating the print job for the atum3D printer. atum3D has created its Operator Station software to make light work of this task. Moreover, our intelligent software increases material use efficiency. By automatically determining the part's shape, the included MAGS AI functionality only creates the necessary supports for the part on the user's behalf. This prevents the user from creating too many or over dimensioned supports, hence saving resin in the process of creating the print job.

atum3D works closely together with the world's leading photopolymer resin suppliers. The open build platform allows material developers to create build materials with the properties our customers are looking for. Although resin development has been accelerating over the past years, most applications call for properties that can currently only be achieved with photopolymer resins that form different types of plastics. At atum3D, we aim to enable and promote the use biobased resins to create bioplastics if and when they become available with the desired properties for one or more applications.

The photopolymer resin only solidifies where the light hits, creating the final part form straight from the liquid. When compared to traditional manufacturing methods, which often start out with a chunk of material that's being reduced into the desired part shape, this results in a significant reduction of waste. Any excess resin left in the printer after the job has finished can be easily and fully recycled for the next print.

In terms of part cleaning and finishing, atum3D is dedicated to exclusively using substances from a renewable source, like bioethanol, in its process. Avoiding hazardous chemicals not only helps reduce our footprint; it also makes working with our products easier for our customers.

Finished parts and the minimal amount of waste in the form of the necessary support structures are considered to be recyclable plastics. At the end of the part's lifecycle, the plastic part can be recycled as part of the separated plastics waste steam.