Theoretical Model for Carbon Footprint Calculus Based on Energy Consumption for Polymer Additively Manufactured Parts

Abstract

The environmental sustainability of the additive manufacturing (AM) process has been a trend in recent years. As well as the adoption of the AM process in traditional manufacturing environments to take advantage of the customization offered by this technology. Similar studies proposed the AM environmental sustainble analysis from a life cycle, circular economy and recycled material perspective. This study is centered in the environmental evaluation of the AM process adoption. The aim of this research is to characterize a model to predict the carbon footprint in an additively manufactured piece through the energy consumption in the printing process. Pieces with different shapes and positions were simulated using a printing simulator to test the model in a fused deposition modeling 3D printer and demonstrate the impact of different manufacturing strategies. The results show that the model proposed is capable of estimating the carbon footprint through the printing time and build volume of a given piece and predict the best printing position to diminish the CO2 emission in the process. Moreover, the model proposed allows managers and practitioners to analyze multiple fabrication scenarios for decision-making.