Life cycle assessment-guided design for sustainable microinjection molds

Abstract

Integrating Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) into the microinjection mold design phase enables a comprehensive comparison between Conventional Injection Molding (CIM) and Topological Optimized Injection Molding (TOIM) approaches. By combining Topological Optimization (TO) with LCA, this research evaluates the environmental impacts across four phases: material production, mold manufacturing, use phase, and end-of-life. Results highlight that, while CIM demonstrates lower initial environmental impacts, TOIM achieves better overall performance when the mold’s lifecycle is considered. The sustainable break-even point for TOIM is reached around 68.50% of the mold’s lifespan, attributed to energy recovery during the use phase. Additionally, recycling scenarios underline the importance of material recovery in reducing Cumulative Energy Demand. This study demonstrates that integrating LCA into early design stages and employing TO can significantly enhance sustainability in microinjection molding, offering a practical framework for balancing environmental and operational efficiency.