Sustainable 3D printing: HRGE funding for a greener future

22.03.2024 - With its Kennmal brand, Umeleon GmbH offers creative and individual decorations in the form of wall logos with a 3D look.

Farbpalette in der Produktion — Color palette in production

Umeleon GmbH was founded in 2020 and now has 14 employees. Through the "Kennmal" brand, the companyproducessignagefor companiesthat want to give their premises a personal touch with custom-made products. The advertising technology products from "Kennmal" can be custom-made in any shape and color - be it numbers, letters or signs. The special thing is that "Kennmal" is not a craft company, but produces the custom-made products using 3D printer technology. The quotation process is also largely automated and simplified. "Kennmal can therefore guarantee a high degree of individuality and an attractive price.

The 3D printer production includes 78 3D printers, over half of which were specially made for "Kennmal". The products are made entirely from PLA (synthetic plastic polylactide from lactic acid). This eliminates the need for acrylic glass, which is based on petroleum. The inner core of the products is a honeycomb structure. The efficient production of logos and lettering means that very little is thrown away and the company does not require a large storage area. In addition, the programming and definition of the products on the computer provides a large and variable scope in the depth of the 3D company signs.

As the use and further development of technology is known to require a certain budget, "Kennmal" looked around the Hanover region for suitable funding. A huge incentive for the team was to improve the sustainability factor of 3D printer production. Large amounts of resources and money can be saved if the print bed no longer requires glue for each printing process. Printing efficiency is also in line with sustainability and saving resources for a more environmentally friendly production.

The production process takes a long time and the quality of the products decreases as the printing speed increases. By testing new nozzles, it was possible to achieve a faster process cycle while maintaining the same quality, thus reducing power consumption. Larger nozzles on the 3D printers thus ensure a faster production process and lower energy consumption.Umeleon GmbH has received a grant of €10,000 for the nozzles of the 3D printers through the "Hannover Region Green Economy" funding program of the Hannover Region Economic Development Agency in order to produce more sustainably and environmentally consciously.the funding from the Hannover Region has also helped to gain knowledge in the implementation of optimization tests.

"We were made aware of the HRGE funding at an evening event thanks to a dedicated employee from the Hannover Region. The funding is characterized by the very personal contact as well as the fact that the applications are reviewed quickly and the project start can be realized quickly. This meant that the hurdle was low enough for us to delve deeper into the topic of sustainability and transform ourselves into an even greener company."

Fabian Duske, company management and co-founder

In total, Umeleon GmbH received three HRGE grants for various processes and implemented them with the support of the Hannover Region. When completing the funding applications, the business development consultants, in particular Dr. Jöran Wrana, provided comprehensive advice and helped the company to specify a number of things. Among other things, a detailed project plan was drawn up together. This enabled Umeleon GmbH to clarify the following questions: What concrete savings can we make as a company? How can we think long-term and sustainably?

The focus is on saving resources, reducing waste and cutting costs,optimizing processes and improving the overall production of "Kennmal".

The "Kennmal" team already has all the PLA waste shredded, dyed black and buys it back in the form of the material (filament) for the 3D printers. In addition, all old printers are to be replaced with new ones in order to save energy in the long term. The extruder for material extraction is to be optimized or replaced. The company would also like to examine whether and how the innovation funding program of the HannoverRegion Economic Development Agency (HRI) can be used for content-related innovations. The "Kennmal" team is highly committed to constantly developing further.