Environmental Impact of Additive Manufacturing for Individual Supplies
[ 1 ] Instytut Technologii Materiałów, Wydział Inżynierii Mechanicznej, Politechnika Poznańska | [ 2 ] Instytut Technologii Mechanicznej, Wydział Inżynierii Mechanicznej, Politechnika Poznańska | [ P ] employee
2021
chapter in monograph / paper
english
- 3D printing
- individualized orthoses
- product carbon footprint
EN The paper presents a comparison between the traditional and modern process of production of customized ankle-foot orthoses, assuming automation of the latter, and taking into account the environmental impact of both methods. Both processes are presented. The authors’ proposal of a new, automated way of designing and producing the orthoses using additive manufacturing (3D printing) is shown in greater detail, on the case of a 5-year old patient, for whom orthoses were made using both processes. The modern, automated process, consisting of 3D scanning, then automated data processing and design, as well as 3D printing of a resulting 3D model, was realized successfully, with promising results. The product carbon footprint (PCF) was calculated and compared with a traditionally produced orthosis. The 3D printing, a modern process using a biodegradable PLA material, was proven to have almost three times lower PCF than a traditional one, hence proving the feasibility of this approach in terms of environmental friendliness.
05.02.2021
384 - 393
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