Design and manufacture of sustainable materials for additive manufacturing technologies
There is an urgent need to reduce reliance on fossil fuel derived plastics. The vast majority of these polymers cannot be recycled due to additives within them and developing more sustainable material approaches is an imperative. This international and intersectoral RISE has the ambitious goal of world-class innovation in the design and additive manufacture (AM) of parts, components and devices using sustainable (bio)polymer materials. DeMANS will explore replacing traditional synthetic plastics with biomaterials in consumer products, simultaneously reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and developing new innovations and markets for bio-based products, contributing to the circular economy objectives of the European Green Deal. In line with the principle of ‘transforming knowledge into innovation’, DeMANS will define the key challenges that have to be met to move from laboratory to manufacturing by demonstrating the feasibility of the approach in the area of computer peripherals. DeMANS brings together complementary world-leading expertise from a network of 7 academic and industrial organisations from 3 European and 2 Southern hemisphere countries. The technical approach includes 1) identifying suitable biopolymers with properties matching industry standards, 2) identifying printing methods and 3) fabricating demonstrators and prototypes. The information will be synthesised to define a technological roadmap for sustainable approaches in AM. Knowledge sharing will be undertaken through a series of secondments, complemented by network-wide training events. DeMANS will enhance the quality of research & innovation in Europe, leading to increased competitiveness and growth. DeMANS will develop skills, offer exposure to new research environments and widen the career perspectives of the staff involved. Project results will be disseminated to relevant scientific, industry and governmental agencies to deliver impact in the largely unexplored field of sustainable material AM.