Abstract
Additive Manufacturing (AM) is viewed as a disruptive technology with the potential to replace many manufacturing processes. With its rapid proliferation in recent years, it is crucial to understand how to measure this technology’s social impacts. There are many studies available in the existing literature regarding the economic and environmental impacts of AM technology. However, research regarding the social impacts of this technology is still scarce. To this end, this research has developed a framework based on Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) methodology to measure AM products’ social impacts throughout their life cycle stages. The proposed framework includes an underlying mathematical model that was developed to allow for the aggregation of indicator scores. Additionally, cut-off scores were determined to differentiate between positive and negative social impacts. This framework can be applied to case studies, which provides a final score that quantifies the social impacts of an AM product throughout all its life cycle stages. It also provides scores for each stakeholder category and life cycle stage, which facilitates the identification of hotspots that require attention from organizations.
Highlights
Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology, usually referred to as 3D printing, is gaining importance in various fields of business and industries due to its significant potentials [1]
In order to assess the social impacts of a product manufactured by AM technology, this paper proposes a Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) framework, which is based on the UNEP guidelines and four identified case studies in the literature [7,18,27,28]
The present study proposes a framework based on the “cradle to grave” concept to assess the social impacts of AM products across different life cycle stages
Summary
Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology, usually referred to as 3D printing, is gaining importance in various fields of business and industries due to its significant potentials [1]. Despite being an immature technology, AM has proved to have a considerable potential for sustainable manufacturing [2]. According to [3], “AM is expected to become a key manufacturing technology in the sustainable society of the future”. Very few studies have been conducted regarding the understanding and assessment of AM social impacts [4]. This lack of knowledge leaves a research gap in the body of literature. This research aims to fulfill this gap by adopting a framework to assess the social impacts of an AM product throughout its different life cycle stages. In [5], the social impacts of a product are defined as the consequences of social interactions formed between the product’s surrounding system and the stakeholders engaged in the product life cycle
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