Environmental impacts assessment of Bound Metal Deposition 3D printing process for stainless steel

Abstract

3D Printing consists in the manufacturing of three-dimensional products by depositing material, usually layer by layer. Since material is added only where needed, these techniques have the potential to minimize waste production, leading to a reduction of cost, energy consumption and environmental impacts with respect to traditional production processes. Bound Metal Deposition (BMD) is a 3D printing extrusion-based process for metals in which the components are build through the deposition of a metal powder held together a polymer binder. After the printing phase, the binder is removed by means of a solvent and then the part is sintered in a furnace. In this study, the environmental impacts and the mechanical properties of 17-4 PH stainless steel 3D printed parts are evaluated by means of the Life Cycle Assessment methodology and tensile tests. Moreover, two different scenarios were considered to evaluate the effects of a heat treatment process on the mechanical properties and the environmental sustainability of 3D printed parts. Results show that the heat-treated components represent the best alternatives when high mechanical properties are required but, on the other hand, they present high environmental impacts.