Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques enable the layer-wise fabrication of complex shapes without the need for specific production tools, reducing the economic lot size to the single unit and allowing the mass customization. Besides the technological drivers pushing AM towards several industrial applications, the energy efficiency and the time/cost performance in comparison to more conventional manufacturing processes are still to be investigated. This research focuses on the Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) process for the production of components made either of ABS or PC-ABS. The impact of the main variables (such as the layer thickness and the infill strategy) on the process time and the energy consumption was analysed while considering the FDM unit-process. Empirical predictive models correlating the energy efficiency with the main process variables are proposed in this paper. The results confirm that the Specific Energy Consumption approach already applied to other manufacturing unit-processes can be successfully extended to FDM. Moreover, the increase in the average Deposition Rate, which is related to the deposition path, appears to be a strategy for the reduction of the specific printing energy. Such experimental evidence might suggest further energy-conscious improvements in the design of AM processes and equipment.

增材制造（AM）技术可实现复杂形状的分层制造，而无需特定的生产工具，从而将经济批量减小到单个单元，并允许批量定制。除了将增材制造推向多个工业应用的技术推动力之外，与更常规的制造工艺相比，能源效率和时间/成本性能仍有待研究。这项研究的重点是用于生产由ABS或PC-ABS制成的组件的熔融沉积建模（FDM）工艺。在考虑FDM单元工艺的同时，分析了主要变量（例如层厚度和填充策略）对工艺时间和能耗的影响。本文提出了将能源效率与主要过程变量相关联的经验预测模型。结果证实，已经应用于其他制造单元过程的“单位能耗”方法可以成功地扩展到FDM。而且，与沉积路径有关的平均沉积速率的增加似乎是降低特定印刷能量的策略。这样的实验证据可能表明在AM工艺和设备的设计中有更多的节能意识。与沉积路径有关的方法似乎是降低特定印刷能量的策略。这样的实验证据可能表明在AM工艺和设备的设计中有更多的节能意识。与沉积路径有关的方法似乎是降低特定印刷能量的策略。这样的实验证据可能表明在AM工艺和设备的设计中有更多的节能意识。