Guidelines to compare additive and subtractive manufacturing approaches under the energy demand perspective. (23rd April 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ingarao, Giuseppe; Priarone, Paolo C.; Lorenzo, Rosa Di; Settineri, Luca
• Is Part Of: International journal of sustainable manufacturing. Volume 4:Number 2/4(2018)
• Page Start: 266
• Page End: 280
• Publication Date: 2020-04-23
• Subjects: additive manufacturing -- process comparison -- energy saving -- decision-support tools; Sustainable design -- Periodicals; Design, Industrial -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Sustainable engineering -- Periodicals; 745.2
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1742-7223

Abstract

In order to characterise the environmental performance of additive manufacturing (AM) processes, comparative analyses are required. Different manufacturing approaches (such as additive and subtractive ones), besides adopting different equipment, use different kinds and amounts of material. Therefore, the material-related flow has to be followed throughout the entire product life. Differences in environmental impact arise at each step of the life cycle: material production, manufacturing, use, disposal, and transportation. A life cycle-based methodology able to take due account of all the factors of influence on the total energy demand for the production of metal components is given in this paper. Decision support tools for identifying the most sustainable manufacturing route (subtractive versus AM-based approaches) are presented for different scenarios. The aim of the present paper is to contribute to the debate concerning the environmental impact characterisation of AM processes.