A sustainable circular 3D printing model for recycling metal scrap in the automotive industry

Industries and businesses are pursuing Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies and adopting a circular approach focused on improving manufacturing processes through the reduction of wastes, CO2 emissions, and mineral exploration to mitigate the impact of climate change. In this sense, Additive Manufacturing (AM), often referred to as 3D printing, can play a vital role in the closed loop of operations. However, academics and practitioners have scarcely discussed the feasibility of AM implementation alongside Circular Economy (CE) practices, the techniques and methods required, or how AM could benefit sustainability and circularity. This paper proposes a novel circular sustainable 3D printing model for scrap recycling in the automotive industry to address
these gaps.The methodology uses a literature review-based approach followed by empirical research using metal scraps as the raw material for fabricating a powder to input a metal 3D printer for generating sustainable automotive components. A conceptual sustainable circular model for the automotive industry is proposed. Next, is conducted a focus group comprised of AM and automotive industry experts for evaluations. The results indicate that the proposed model can reintroduce waste back into the manufacturing chain as raw material for the on-demand manufacture and supply of automotive components and that it may also have social and environmental implications. This paper’s contributions are threefold: it explores the combined use of I4.0, CE,
and Sustainability in the automotive industry, develops a new model to support the circularity and sustainability of the scrap chains, and proposes the use of AM as a catalyst of CE practices by reproducing recycled components with a 3D printer for fully functioning components.