Investigation in Human Health, Environment and Safety Aspects of Additive Manufacturing (AM) Processes

Abstract

Environmental impacts of every manufacturing procedure are a major consideration in every industry. These impacts include human health and safety and environmental burdens which are known as vital concerns in the industrial world. Before accepting any new process as a part of manufacturing procedure, a clear landscape from every aspect of that process should be provided. Additive manufacturing (AM) is growing from a prototyping method to the level of manufacturing functional products which require specific and accurate characterization information about every step of the whole production line. In this paper, attempts are made to address environmental impacts and safety considerations of metallic AM-based processes as well as their applicable solutions. AM processes are compared to conventional manufacturing methods from environmental aspects. Moreover, the benefits of metal AM as a fabricating and repairing method are presented. In conclusion, AM potential as a substitution or even complement for conventional manufacturing methods are discussed, where safety is considered vital.

Understanding powder degradation in metal additive manufacturing to allow the upcycling of recycled powders

“…The rapidly developing AM industry has carried out research into the consequence of continually reusing metal powder in AM. The production, usage and recycling of metal powders are identified as issues in AM and 'require more attention' (Javidrad et al, 2018). Research into the effect of recycling metal powders in AM is collected and analysed within this paper, complimented by investigation into the mechanisms through which powder degrades.…”