Environmental Impact, Challenges for Industrial Applications and Future Perspectives of Additive Manufacturing

Abstract

Rapid prototyping or additive manufacturing (AM) techniques are considered the most efficient process for fabrication. It is used to manufacture any intricate shapes with the inputs from 3D CAD data. AM technologies involve layer by layer deposition technique until the entire part is done. Compared to the conventional manufacturing process, many advantages envision the necessity for AM techniques in various aspects like materials, environment, and fabricating methods. As the time for manufacturing is comparatively less for AM techniques, even the design engineer has the freedom to design and test the intricate designs within less time. AM technology is considered green manufacturing that means minimal wastage of materials, and this leads to cost reduction of the final part and most negligible effect on the environment. Using conventional techniques, it is observed that has an adverse effect on the environment, and it’s better to switch to alternative methods like AM. This study focusses on how sustainable to use AM techniques in industrial applications and impact the environment using additive techniques. This chapter helps scholars in understanding the sustainability of different additive techniques. © 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH, Boschstr. 12, 69469 Weinheim, Germany.