Context
Academic research at Johnson & Wales University. Co-authored and presented.
ACADEMIC RESEARCH · ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Reducing Plastic Waste with 5D Printing
Prototype research exploring support-material alternatives and multi-axis printing as approaches to reducing waste.
My contribution
Research, prototype development, fabrication exploration and presentation as part of the project team.
Stage
Feasibility research. This portfolio does not present the work as a validated commercial manufacturing process.
THE QUESTION
Can changing how a part is oriented during printing reduce dependence on disposable supports?
Conventional additive workflows can require temporary support structures for difficult geometry. The project investigated support-material alternatives and multi-axis approaches as possible ways to address that waste. Earlier portfolio versions included conflicting percentage-reduction claims; those figures are intentionally omitted here until the underlying measurements and comparison conditions are confirmed.
ARTIFACTS
Printer / research hardware
Physical project artifact documenting the multi-axis printing investigation.
CAD development
CAD material documenting the machine concept and configuration.
Prototype development
Physical development artifact from the research process.
WHAT THE PROJECT DEMONSTRATES
Research translated into a physical experiment.
For my portfolio, the value of this work is the combination of additive-manufacturing research, CAD, physical prototyping and the discipline to separate a promising approach from a proven production process.