Recycled powders: an Eco-Design approach for Laser-Powder Bed Fusion

Additive manufacturing processes could reduce environmental impacts by optimizing the material distribution and achieving lightweight products. The sustainability of the additive processes can be further improved by using recycling methods. The most used practices are reusing metal powders for multiple builds and recycling components throughout the additive manufacturing process to make recycled powders. This paper addresses the current state of the art recycling practices regarding the use of metal powders in Laser-Powder Bed Fusion process propose an approach to consider the environmental impact of the product during the design phase. The approach considers a mix of virgin, reused, and recycled powders as the material input. The design optimization workflow and Life Cycle Assessment provide useful tools to achieve feasible and sustainable solutions.