Additive Manufacturing - 3d printing LCA

Question

Hello all,

Am trying to create a simple model for investigating any savings from using 3d printing instead of a conventional process. I couldn`t find any helpful paradigms related to AM modeling. Do you have anything to propose? Maybe an example? I would really appreciate any help

Thanks :)
Demetris

Comments

Hi Demetris,
interesting question but what are you specifically looking for - LCA is quite a generic approach for any product and production process?
Thanks, Andreas

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Hello Andreas,

Indeed it is too generic. Well, am now thinking what could be the most important flows and inputs in order to describe a 3d printing process. I was thinking too focus only on the process itself. Let`s assume that we want to 3d print a square plate with a hole in its center and also machine the same piece on a milling machine.
So that would be the filament material and the required electric energy as inputs for the 3d printing process. but what would be the output? besides the final product. (am also thinking of metal 3d printing and thus different inputs - powder, laser electric power etc)
accordingly, for the milling process, we will have an aluminum block of material for machining, the electricity needed, probably lubricant etc as inputs; and the output would be the waste of material etc.
Is it correct to isolate the rest of the life-cycle phases and focus only on the manufacturing phase?
So to summarize:
A square plate with a hole in its middle. To be manufactured with (a) 3d printing (b) milling. Will this comparison be correct from an LCA perspective? Do i need to include other phases too?
am not really sure if am following a correct approach.
Thanks in advance :)
Demetris

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Hi Demetris,
well you should include the supply chains for aluminium and electricity and so forth, but it could well be that the manufacturing process itself has no emissions (maybe gaseuos evaporations?), and waste.
Best wishes,
Andreas

Answer 1

This is a very interesting post to me as I am trying to achieve something similar to do with 3D printing- Demetris, what was the result of this?  Do you have an email address I could contact you on?