Intro: Production of composite parts requires the presence of proper tools, often made of polyurethane boards, which imply the use of harmful substances, such as isocyanates. Moreover, the standard approach for tooling manufacturing is subtractive, generating a massive amount of waste: as a thermosetting material, PU boards are not easily recycled nor re-used; hence, they are often landfilled, increasing the burdens associated with composite manufacturing.
Methods: TOOL4LIFE, an EU-Life project, aims to introduce additive manufacturing and design optimization in composite tooling for the automotive industry, combined with the use of thermoplastic materials. The innovations simplify the tooling (i.e. no need of master models), reduce waste scrap (i.e. direct 3-D printing), and allow for tool recycling at the EoL, in a sustainable perspective.
Results: Finite Element (FE) topology optimization analyses supported the definition of a proper design shape for specific tool application, reducing the amount of material mass required and optimizing the 3D printing process. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) applied to the selected shape confirmed the reduction in associated environmental impacts with respect to the baseline PU tool.
Conclusions: The combination of FE analysis and LCA, along with the selection of thermoplastic polymers (i.e. PC, ABS), supported a transition towards sustainable materials and processing in composite tooling. The application in the automobile sector, whose design and requirements are challenging, is proficient and suggests a potential wider application in other hi-tech industries. This approach proves that sustainability in composites can be achieved without sacrificing technological performance and feasibility.
Acknowledgement: The TOOL4LIFE project has received funding from the European Union’s Programme for Environment and Climate Action (LIFE) under grant agreement N° 101074299-TOOL4LIFE- LIFE-2021-SAP-ENV. The authors declare no conflict of interest.