Life Cycle Assessment of Abrasive Flow Machining of 3D Printed Parts: A Comparative Analysis

Every material, product, and production process has an ecological impact. The present study focused on the environmental impact assessment of finishing Polylactic Acid (PLA) parts using hydrogel-based and polymer-based abrasive media. The PLA parts, fabricated using the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) process, have been finished through AFM. Then, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis was performed using SimaPro (Version 9.1.0.8) software. The energy consumed during media preparation, workpiece printing, AFM, media constituents, and work material were considered inventory for LCA analysis. The ReCiPe 2016 V 1.04 midpoint (E) and endpoint(E) modules were used for impact assessment. The LCA results showed that the hydrogel-based AFM process has a less adverse effect on the environment than the polymer-based AFM process. Also, power consumed at different stages was a significant contributor to the impact on the environment. The results of this LCA analysis provide a base for sustainability assessment in the AFM process.