Environmental assessment/evaluation of 3D printing and 3D printing with wood-PLA compositesKrapež, Daša (Avtor) Oblak, Leon (Avtor) Kitek Kuzman, Manja (Avtor) Glavonjić, Branko (Avtor) Bizjak Govedič, Teja (Avtor) life cycle assessment3D printingenvironmental impactcarbon footprintwood-PLA compositeIn recent years, additive manufacturing has become a regular process in various industries, and consequently there is an increasing need to evaluate the environmental aspects of this technology and its associated materials. In this paper, comparative cradle-to-grave life cycle assessments between a conventional product and a 3D-printed alternative made of polylactic acid (PLA) and PLA-wood material were investigated based on the standard ISO 14044:2006. The environmental impact of each product was quantified for 18 categories. The goal of life cycle assessment (LCA) was to determine whether the use of 3D printed PLA/PLA-wood products can be a sustainable alternative to traditional metal products. The paper presents a case study in which a comparative LCA was conducted. The results show that a metal part manufactured using conventional subtractive processes (milling, drilling, welding, etc.) has a higher environmental impact compared to 3D-printed alternatives made from renewable materials. However, there are many sub-issues that need to be adequately addressed.20242024-03-09 03:51:04Članek v reviji154925UDK: 674.816ISSN pri članku: 0012-6772DOI: 10.5552/drvind.2024.0107COBISS_ID: 188161283sl