Comparison of recycling processes of the used sand produced during the binder-jetting process

Abstract

The binder-jetting process, also known as rapid sand casting, generates used sand that researchers have been exploring ways to recycle. Methods such as mixing the used sand with new sand or using thermal and mechanical reclamation processes have been investigated. This paper compares the efficiencies of these recycling methods by examining whether the used-sand test specimens meet the required mechanical properties, and their potential for circularity. The methodology used in the paper is based on Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), which is a decision-making process that evaluates and prioritizes multiple criteria to determine the best option using weighing and scoring. Applying the MCDA approach ranked sand mixing as the most effective recycling method, followed by thermal reclamation and then mechanical reclamation. This study aims to improve the understanding of how to manage waste sand produced by rapid sand casting more efficiently.