Evaluation of environmental impact of additive and subtractive manufacturing processes for sustainable manufacturing

Abstract

Sustainable manufacturing relates to the manufacturing of a product by ensuring minimal impact on the environment. It also refers to the minimum consumption of resources during the manufacturing process which can be replenished without causing resource scarcity for the future generations. Hence the need to study the details of impact of the manufacturing process on the environment is important. In this paper an attempt is made to evaluate the environmental impact of Additive and Subtractive Manufacturing Processes for sustainable manufacturing. For comparison it is proposed to manufacture two components used in aerospace applications namely bevel gear and PCB support. The two components are manufactured using Additive and Subtractive processes. Fused Deposition Modelling process is chosen for Additive Manufacturing and CNC machining is considered for subtractive manufacturing. Environmental impact is studied for both the components considering the material and Energy consumed in the manufacture of these components by both the manufacturing methods. The effect of environmental parameters like Human Health, Eco Systems and Resources were studied and compared when the same component is produced by Conventional method and by Additive Manufacturing method. SIMAPRO Software is used for Life Cycle Assessment.