LAUSR

Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is one of the most commonly used 3D printing technologies and has gradually become an important plastic processing technology. However, due to the variety of performance and application scenarios of FFF products, there is no research to comprehensively evaluate the environmental impact of the process. The environmental impact assessment method of FFF products under different performance requirements was proposed innovatively. Through the assessment, we found that the life cycle environmental impact of FFF products produced under various performance requirements can be up to several times different from each other and the FFF process can best reflect its environmentally friendly characteristics when manufacturing products do not require high strength and high surface quality. This paper aims to propose the rational application scenario and the positive solutions to reduce environmental impact for FFF, meanwhile provide future directions for the sustainable development of the FFF technology.