A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment Study Of Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Binder Jetting And CNC Machining Processes

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is considered as one of the most suitable methods for building parts with complex designs. AM is described as an efficient and sustainable manufacturing method, when compared to the traditional manufacturing methods. To understand the credibility of AM as a sustainable process, a study of the life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted for PBF-LB, BJT-M and CNC machining for manufacturing of an impeller. The LCA calculations were made for different scenarios with respect to feedstock. It was observed that BJT-M had the largest CO2 footprint compared to PBF-LB, followed by CNC machining. It was concluded that the BJT footprint is highest owing to the extra steps involved in making the part user ready, mainly sintering. This study has been conducted as natural extension of a previous study conducted on LCI of PBF-LB and CNC processes and approaches the LCA from the point of view of raw material.