Sustainability of the Fused Deposition Modelling Process—A Review

The expansion of fused deposition modeling (FDM) usage for manufacturing parts through 3D printing has contributed to an intensification of researchers’ concerns regarding the sustainability of the mentioned process. In this regard, the aspects considered essential for defining the FDM process were first highlighted. For a rigorous approach to the research results achieved so far in the field of FDM process sustainability, a systemic analysis was carried out, taking into consideration the sustainability of the FDM process as a system, and identifying the input factors and output parameters of such a system. The evolution of knowledge regarding the approach to sustainability aspects of the FDM process has allowed for a highlighting of the main research directions addressed up to now in a direction. The main solutions proposed by various researchers for improving the sustainability of the FDM process were succinctly presented. Highlighting the results of research on the influence exerted by different input factors on the values of output parameters specific to FDM process sustainability was considered to be of interest. Various proposed solutions for modeling and optimizing the output parameters usable for evaluating the sustainability of the FDM process were investigated. A brief presentation of the evolution trends in research regarding FDM process sustainability was made.