Energy and cost assessment of 3D printed mobile case covers

Sustainable manufacturing emphasizes efficient production, whilst upholding economic, environmental, and societal commitments. One major challenge for sustainability arises in short lifecycle products such as mobile phone covers. The market demands quick product launch and responsive fulfilment, which is typically achieved through make-to-stock production using injection moulding. This approach necessitates production is based on demand forecasts, which frequently leads to overproduction and much unsold waste product. 3D printing technologies enable a make-to-order production model, allowing customers to self-manufacture mass customized products as needed. Moreover, in the framework of circular economy, 3D printing empowers the final user with full control of the end-of-life product disposal management. These capabilities suggest 3D printing may afford improved sustainability, but to-date there has been little empirical validation of this proposition. This paper addresses this gap through a comparison of 3D printed and injection moulded production, providing a detailed quantitative evaluation of energy and costs for both manufacturing approaches. (C) 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.