Developing sustainable and resilient circular economy microfactories

SuRF-LSAM merges previous Vinnova and Produktion2030 projects, OCEAN-LSAM and SPARSAM, to implement a circular economy microfactory concept by establishing two microfactories in Sweden and Portugal.

Through identified use cases and with the support of partners, SuRF-LSAM will facilitate the further development of a network of sustainable and resilient LSAM microfactories. The project will develop a model to calculate the actual values of LSAM for circular material production, thereby enabling demand-driven circular production that can be brought closer to the customer in a microfactory or a "factory-in-a-box" mobile concept. Thus, SuRF-LSAM not only strengthens the competitiveness of the Swedish manufacturing industry, but it also enables Swedish industry to be a global “twin transition” frontrunner by digitally transforming manufacturing for a truly circular economy.

The microfactory concept is a new approach with the potential to revolutionize manufacturing. It entails sorting, shredding, and recycling collected waste materials into secondary raw materials, and producing new parts within the same facility using LSAM.

The project will leverage its partners’ expertise and networks as well as Swedish industrial advances to establish the two LSAM microfactories:

1. Peniche, Portugal for SuRF-LSAM partner, Ocean Tech Hub Lda, that participated in Step 1 Ocean-LSAM
2. Stockholm for SuRF-LSAM partner Brandworks AB

SuRF-LSAM encourages interaction and knowledge sharing between the microfactories, by establishing an initial network of the first two microfactories. Feasibility studies to determine which products are optimal for local LSAM production will be conducted, using supply chain models and parameters related to circular scenarios. This will enable SuRF-LSAM to go beyond state-of-the-art to facilitate an LSAM microfactory network where global and local (glocal) partners contribute with their competencies and establish further microfactories.

Furthermore, SuRF-LSAM will create a computational model to replace real-world LSAM experiments. Concentrating on material and process level properties, the project also seeks to advance earlier studies on the AM process and digitalization. Results from digital twins will enhance existing designs and facilitate an effective evaluation of new ideas and products. These activities are complemented by extensive research at a material level, to optimize the compounding process of recycled polymers, followed by necessary multi-physical characterization in different levels, enabling microfactory efficiency.

LSAM microfactories using recycled polymers enable a higher degree of flexibility and sustainability compared to traditional manufacturing, such as injection molding. They will also make the Swedish industry more resilient to future uncertainties, such as raw material shortages, pandemics, wars, and natural disasters.

The initiative also contributes to improving EU’s plastic waste recycling rate of around 30% and to decreasing the future use of virgin plastic, which is of dire importance as plastic production is expected to double within the next 20 years. Thus, SuRF-LSAM also contributes to four UN SDGs.