RIGENER-AM is a public-funded innovation initiative co-funded by the European Union and Regione Lombardia, with a contribution of over €2M. The project aims to transform metal waste from the automotive industry and textile by-products from the fashion ecosystem into advanced materials for additive manufacturing, enabling highly customized and circular solutions across multiple sectors.
Within this broader framework, Designtech contributes to exploring new applications at the intersection of fashion, furniture and interior design, combining circular economy principles, material intelligence and advanced manufacturing to help shape a new value chain for responsible innovation.
Advanced circular materials | Develop innovative materials derived from metal and textile waste streams through advanced recovery and processing techniques, enhancing technical performance while unlocking new aesthetic and functional qualities. --
Waste-to-value ecosystem | Create an integrated model for identifying, collecting and valorizing industrial by-products, supported by data analysis and market intelligence to transform waste into high-value resources. --
Additive Manufacturing integration | Enable the use of recycled materials within advanced AM workflows, optimizing processability through technologies such as Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) and Large Format Additive Manufacturing (LFAM), with particular attention to design-driven applications. --
Environmental and economic validation | Assess sustainability and cost efficiency through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost Assessment (LCCA), ensuring measurable environmental impact reduction along the entire product lifecycle. --
Prototyping and real-world testing | Develop functional prototypes and demonstrators to validate material performance and industrial scalability in real operating environments.--
Cross-industry scalability | Extend the applicability of developed materials and processes to additional sectors — from design and fashion to automotive, biomedical, construction and beyond.
1. Serving as the design and prototyping hub of the RIGENER-AM project, identifying innovative and market-relevant applications for recycled materials
2. Advanced product design and prototyping, leveraging Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) and computational design methodologies
3. Development of functional demonstrators for the automotive, furniture and fashion sectors using digital and additive manufacturing
4. Activation of an innovation ecosystem to support industrialization and scale-up beyond the project duration
A dedicated research stream focuses on the recovery and valorization of textile and polymeric waste originating from fashion and design supply chains. Materials are analyzed according to composition and impurity levels, then transformed through advanced processing into new compounds enriched with innovative bio-polymers suitable for large-scale 3D printing. Working alongside partner brands and creative teams, the project explores new product archetypes where circularity meets aesthetics and performance.
DESIGNTECH S.R.L.
Via Polidoro da Caravaggio 30B
20156 Milan Italy
VAT: IT12415810964
