Best case: greener with 3D printing – VESTAS
Sustainable manufacturing
Vestas is a large wind turbines manufacturing company from Aarhus, Denmark. They have been listed nr. 1 on Corporate Knights list of most sustainable companies in 2022. The ranking includes large companies with revenues over USD 1billion, and is based on 9 social and environmental indicators. Read more on Corporate Knights here.
Sustainability is a fundamentanal part of VESTAS company and production, and they have a solid sustainability strategy: Sustainability in everything we do. It builds around 4 overaching goals:
- Carbon neutrality by 2030 without carbon offsets
- Producing zero-waste wind turbines by 2040
- Becoming the safest, most inclusive & socially responsible company in the energy industry
- Leading the transition towards a world powered by sustainable energy.
3D printing to go green?
In combination with several sustainability initiatives – ranging from technology adoption, recycling, to employment and stakeholder engagement – Vestas has introduced a 3D printing program as part of the sustianbility strategy in 2021. More specifically, the the 3D printing program is for production of essential tools in the company´s turbine blade manufacturing. The new additive manufacturing program combines 3D printing and a digital solution by Markforged.
With the new 3D printing program, several benefits is obtained:
- shortened and more efficient overall production line
- savings in transportation and freight costs
- potential for use of new sustainable materials
- employees are also experiencing more control of the process and less work with managing production chains and compliance issues.
It is therefore an initiative improving both financial, social and environmental sustainability. Find an interesting and deeper article about the benefits and the project on Compositesworlds, and see the video below where VESTAS introduce the program and its benefits below.
