{"id":866,"date":"2023-05-30T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-30T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.autodesk.com\/learn-lab\/?p=866"},"modified":"2023-05-26T12:23:12","modified_gmt":"2023-05-26T19:23:12","slug":"teach-sustainable-product-design-with-the-makersite-add-on-for-fusion-360","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.autodesk.com\/learn-lab\/2023\/05\/30\/teach-sustainable-product-design-with-the-makersite-add-on-for-fusion-360\/","title":{"rendered":"Teach Sustainable Product Design with the Makersite Add-on for Fusion 360"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sustainable design practices are becoming a mandate within the design and manufacturing industry. What was once considered an internal business or socially responsible decision has now shifted to an essential component of business legitimacy and success. External forces such as government regulations, consumer demand, need for supply chain resilience are positioning sustainable practices as non-negotiable. Employers in the industry are hungry for young, talented new hires who have consistently considered sustainability as a design-and-make factor throughout their education<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the Makersite Add-On for Fusion 360, students can see the <\/em>environmental impact and resource consumption for their designs through reports and heatmap visualizations, which help them to iterate their models for optimal <\/em>sustainability<\/em>. Read the full details below from the Fusion 360 blog article and get free educational access to <\/em>Autodesk Fusion 360<\/em><\/a>. <\/em> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get Real-time Sustainability Insights with the Makersite Add-on for Fusion 360<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to product design, there are always competing priorities. Important decisions for durability, strength, weight, materials, and cost can quite literally make or break a product. But there\u2019s another factor that is quickly climbing to the top of the priority list: sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many companies are now placing sustainability front and center with massive goals and commitments. Minimizing environmental impact is certainly a major motivation, but the reasons for the shift aren\u2019t only altruistic ones. Sustainability now impacts a business\u2019s bottom line, from consumer demand to government incentives, financial pressure from investors, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s one thing to commit to designing and manufacturing sustainable products, but it\u2019s quite another to make that commitment a reality. How can we make it happen? It all starts with design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The relationship between the design process and sustainability<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Up to four-fifths of a product\u2019s lifetime emissions are determined by decisions made at the design stage<\/a>. Gaining early insights in the design phase can help designers make more informed decisions about incorporating sustainable materials, calculating carbon emissions, and reducing the cost of the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, many designers lack the tools to access and analyze metrics that show the impact of design choices. Luckily, that\u2019s now changing with the availability of the Makersite Add-on for Autodesk Fusion 360<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the Makersite Add-on for Fusion 360?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Makersite Add-on for Fusion 360 helps innovators design the most sustainable version of their product while saving costs. It allows designers to make high-conviction decisions on CO2 emissions and costs in real-time, seek material replacement recommendations, obtain heat map visualization, and even pull reports and view history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does the Makersite Add-on for Fusion 360 do?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Makersite Add-on for Fusion 360 provides a direct integration to the Makersite platform from within the Fusion 360 environment. It works by converting your CAD model into a Bill of Materials (BOM) and requests Makersite to calculate carbon emissions as well as cost estimates of each part of the BOM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The add-on also facilitates the analysis of the carbon impact of materials used in model components, enabling users to identify alternative materials that can minimize the overall carbon footprint. It evaluates material costs, providing users with a comprehensive understanding of the current material. Additionally, it presents the carbon impact and costs in a heatmap format for better visualization and analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Empowering designers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Integrating sustainability insights during the early design phase can be challenging, but with the right tool, it can be transformative for designers. With the Makersite Add-on for Fusion 360, designers can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n