A Preliminary Study on the Sustainability of Metallization of Polymer Matrix Composites through Cold Spray

Abstract

The cold spray (CS) process is the latest solid-state deposition method that has gained significant awareness for the metallization of polymer matrix composites (PMCs) materials to modify their surface properties, including electrical or thermal conductivity and electromagnetic shielding. In comparison with other coating processes, CS allows for the production of metallic coatings without the necessity to reach the melting temperature of the sprayed particles and provides a way to deposit resistant materials with improved properties onto various components to minimize wear, erosion and corrosion. For the first time in the literature, this work has the innovative goal of applying the life cycle assessment methodology to the case study of the CS production process in order to ascertain whether CS could be framed in the realm of green technologies offering interesting opportunities to improve manufacturing sustainability. In particular, the environmental impact of CS associated with the metallization process of PMCs was considered in terms of energy consumption and CO2, NOx and SO2 emissions, which are used as indicators in the life cycle assessment. When compared to different coating processes, the results suggest that CS has a large potential to reduce the environmental effects connected with the products in terms of the amount of CO2 and hazardous emissions created throughout the process.