IntelliJeni: The Future of 3D Printing Automation

In the LEAD (Low Energy Autonomous Digital) Factory project, a consortium of world-leading companies joined forces to innovate and develop a ground-breaking automation system. The process involves creating functional plastics from plant waste, converting them into usable, eco-friendly polymers. This clean, low-energy manufacturing process is entirely controlled digitally, minimizing harmful emissions and ensuring circularity through an innovative recovery process for end-of-life plastics.

Building on the success of the LEAD Factory, the IntelliJeni project aims to revolutionize the way plastic parts are created by scaling up the automated concept machine for deployment. Jeni is a modular, turnkey automated 3D printing solution that increases productivity, resource and energy efficiency, and digital technology adoption while localizing manufacturing. By being a turnkey, modular, automated, and mobile system, Jeni significantly reduces the technical and cost barriers to entry for adopting 3D printing in mass production operations.

This data-driven machine will standardize and automate the production of large volumes of polymer parts, utilizing machine learning for improved output and reliability. One of the key challenges and opportunities in scaling up additive manufacturing is that each part can be unique, requiring multiple iterations to optimize the production process, consuming time and material. By applying machine learning to the system, IntelliJeni will be able to suggest optimized production parameters based on input parts, learning from all previous iterations.

Digital part creation has numerous energy, productivity, and waste reduction benefits, including greater optimization potential, reduced carbon emissions, and on-demand manufacturing near the point of need. This disruptive, game-changing alternative to injection moulding has the potential to spark the next digital industrial revolution in the UK.

With its cutting-edge approach to manufacturing and commitment to a sustainable, circular process, the IntelliJeni project is poised to make a significant impact on the industry, paving the way for a greener, more efficient future.