A Methodology to Promote Circular Economy in Design by Additive Manufacturing

[Context] Within the framework of PLM; Circular Economy (CE) is an important concept that seeks to design out waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use and regenerate natural systems. Early Design Stages (EDS) are crucial because they set the foundation for the rest of the production process and can determine the product's overall functionality, usability, and manufacturing processes. [Problem] As companies increasingly recognize the benefits of transitioning to a circular economy, there is a growing need for tools and methodologies to support the design of circular products and services. [Proposal] This paper presents a CE card deck as a novel approach to facilitate the early stages of product development. The deck consists of 10 cards based on Morseletto's “Targets for a circular economy” work that represents mainstream circular economy principles and strategies and can be used by designers, engineers, and other stakeholders to generate ideas, evaluate options, and make informed decisions. The results of a pilot study with design and engineering students (Master level) suggest that the card deck can support the exploration of CE concepts and facilitate the identification of circular solutions, in a Design by AM context (DbAM). The paper concludes with a discussion of the potential benefits and limitations of the card deck approach, and its integration into a PLM framework, and gives suggestions for future research.