Celia Chua is a PhD student with Engineering Product Development pillar at Singapore University of Technology & Design (SUTD). She holds an MSc in Environmental Management from the National University of Singapore (2012). She also has a BEng in Materials Engineering from Nanyang Technological University (2007). Her research interests encompass application of life cycle assessment to different environment-related issues and problems. She focuses on the domain of additive manufacturing, also known as 3D Printing. Prior to her PhD studies, she worked in academia, both in Singapore and Austria.
Presentation Title
Life Cycle Assessment of Additive Manufacturing: A Review
Abstract
This paper is a review of 27 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies on additive manufacturing (AM) found in the literature. The variation in study objectives, system boundary selection, choice of functional units, and environmental impact categories are examined. The studies are motivated by different reasons – to compile life cycle inventory data, to achieve energy efficiency by varying process parameters, or to compare AM against incumbent technologies, such as bulk forming and subtractive manufacturing processes. Most studies have focused on the energy consumption of AM processes, while others examined greenhouse gas emissions, material use, and human and environmental toxicity. Finally, recommendations on studying the LCA of AM processes are presented.