AMGTA announces first life-cycle assessment research project
September 13, 2021
The Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association (AMGTA) announced at RAPID + TCT 2021, taking place September 13–15 in Chicago, Illinois, USA, that it had selected the Golisano Institute for Sustainability at Rochester Institute of Technology, New York, USA, to conduct a life-cycle assessment (LCA) comparison of an additively manufactured jet engine low pressure turbine (LPT) bracket to one which was manufactured traditionally. The study will be ISO 14040 compliant.
“This new study will include up to eighteen different environmental indicators to quantify the environmental impacts that an optimised jet engine LPT bracket has throughout its entire life cycle: from material extraction, manufacturing, transportation, use, and its eventual end-of-life,” stated Sherry Handel, AMGTA’s Executive Director. “This data will then be compared to a traditionally designed and manufactured LPT bracket to determine where exactly Powder Bed Fusion AM technology results in lower environmental impacts.”
The LCA report will be peer reviewed by a panel of three LCA experts to ensure methodology, data, assumptions, results, and conclusions are accurate. The report is expected to be published in the spring of 2022, with key findings announced at RAPID + TCT in May 2022.
