If I had to name just one major thing that Additive Manufacturing 2.0 company RIZE, Inc. focuses on when making its industrial 3D printers, it’s definitely safety, for which RIZE President and CEO Andy Kalambi told me in 2019 the company’s zero-emission 3D printers are “purpose built.” The latest feather in its cap, after announcing that the desktop composite 2XC 3D printer was its fifth product or material to receive the important UL GREENGUARD Certification for safety and sustainability, is the new “Safe at Home” Manufacturing initiative, which is meant to help enable organizations to build self-sufficient, distributed supply chains at the office, the factory, or the home; an often necessary task these days due to the ongoing pandemic.
As COVID-19 has repeatedly shown us, it’s critically important for supply chains to learn to become more resilient, and this new initiative will help ensure that companies can safely and seamlessly continue their workflows, no matter if its employees are working remotely or just down the hall in the office.
Role of Additive Manufacturing in Supply Chain courtesy of Croftam UK.
RIZE, a World Economic Forum (WEF) 2020 Technology Pioneer, boasts the first professional desktop 3D printer to receive UL GREENGUARD certification, which means that it helps lower the risk of chemical exposure, and in doing so adheres to third-party chemical emissions standards and gives users peace of mind that the product they’re using is safe. Research shows that many desktop 3D printers do release hazardous ultrafine particles (UFPs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air, which is obviously not ideal if you’re using the system at home in an enclosed space. GREENGUARD-certified products meet ANSI/CAN/UL 2904, “Standard Method for Testing and Assessing Particle and Chemical Emissions for 3D Printers,” which means that they release lower levels of harmful chemicals into the air and are thus safer to use indoors.
“Next-generation technology is solving some of the biggest limitations of additive manufacturing, such as its emission of carcinogens and other airborne particles associated with traditional FFF approaches to 3D printing. With the pandemic expanding 3D printing outside typical industrial settings such as in home offices, the innovations of next-generation additive manufacturing players such as RIZE are changing the conversation on safety and sustainability,” said Tim Greene, research director at IDC.
Automation technology and technical educational solutions provider Festo SE & Co KG is participating in RIZE’s new manufacturing initiative by purchasing RIZE 2XC composite 3D printers and then deploying them in the homes of some of its important team members in Germany and the US. This will allow the company to create a productive, self-sufficient supply chain that’s UL GREENGUARD-certified safe.
“At Festo, we believe additive manufacturing will play a key role in shaping the future of work. Collaborative distributed manufacturing will bring about a paradigm shift, which will lead to more market opportunities and increased applications,” said Nuzha Yakoob, the head of technology and innovation at Festo North America. “We are delighted to expand our work with RIZE to help scale adoption of next-generation manufacturing technologies by putting safety at the heart of the supply chain of tomorrow.”
In addition, Festo is also collaborating with RIZE to develop workflows that are capable of delivering durable, repeatable, and high-precision 3D printed parts no matter if team members are all together in the same building, or spread throughout the world.
Kalambi said, “We’re honored that Festo shares our commitment to reconceptualize manufacturing, and find better ways to work productively in the new normal of COVID-19. The RIZE “Safe at Home” Manufacturing initiative is a powerful first step to building supply chain resiliency with advanced digital fabrication solutions like RIZE’s line of UL GREENGUARD certified 3D printers that are safe for home, work and anywhere.”