Enabling sustainability-by-design with multi-disciplinary computer aided systems

Abstract

Sustainability-by-Design requires information and communication technologies (ICTs) capable of integrating design engineering, manufacturing processes, materials, and sustainability considerations. Currently, methodologies for assessing environmental sustainability, such as product life cycle assessment, are often implemented too late in the design process, reducing opportunities for early intervention. Integrating environmental sustainability modeling in computer-aided systems (CAx) allows engineers to concurrently evaluate trade-offs between technical performance and environmental impact, facilitating informed decision-making during embodiment design stages. Using a prosthetic device produced via material jetting additive manufacturing as case study, we demonstrate the transformative role of advanced CAx tools capable of analyzing trade-offs among competing objectives.