Using 3D printing technology eliminates the extra expenditures involved with product development. Due to the high cost of creating traditional things for customers, selection of product has been a concern for industrialists. My thesis focuses on additive manufacturing, specifically additive manufacturing of polymer composites. I will explore the materials used for additive manufacturing and delve into the technology behind 3D printing. Additionally, I will examine 3D printing-based environmental devices and discuss the current trends and challenges in additive manufacturing. Furthermore, I will explore the potential of additive manufacturing and its impact on life cycle assessment. Lastly, I will evaluate the capabilities of the life cycle assessment software, GaBi 9.2 Education.

My comparative results highlight several conclusions:

• Both examined 3D processes (FDM and VP) have a minimal impact on the abiotic depletion of elements (ADPe) and contribute significantly to the abiotic depletion of fossil (ADPf) resources, putting strain on non-renewable resources. • The VP process generally has higher contributions to environmental impact categories, such as acidification potential (AP), global warming (planetary warming) potential (GWP), and human toxicity potential (HTP). • Both processes have a negligible influence on the depletion potential of the ozone layer (ODP).