The project is moving ahead at full speed with activities focused on assessing the environmental and economic sustainability of the developed solutions. In particular, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) analyses are now in full swing thanks to close collaboration between research centers and partner companies.

At CIRI MAM, the test case printing phases are currently underway, combining various iterations of materials and topological optimization strategies. These samples are essential for evaluating performance and impacts throughout the entire product life cycle. Every three weeks, the project team meets with CIRI researchers to collect and update the data needed for the LCA development.

Meanwhile, at the Department of Industrial Chemistry, 3D printer filaments are being tested to quantify direct emissions during preheating, printing, and post-processing phases. The next tests, scheduled in about a month, will focus on resins and will be conducted using mass spectrometry for more accurate detection of emitted compounds.

On the company side, the Ecoinnovazione team is working closely with Modelleria Modenese. Data for the three LCAs have already been collected, and the corresponding LCC analyses are nearing completion. All LCA and LCC studies, both at CIRI MAM and with the companies involved, will be finalized after the summer break.

At the same time, development is beginning on an LCA tool dedicated to businesses, designed to facilitate self-assessment of environmental impacts in production processes. To ensure a truly useful tool tailored to users’ needs, a feedback collection process has been launched via a dedicated survey targeting companies. The results will guide the tool’s design according to concrete expectations, needs, and familiarity with sustainability topics.