International Scientific Journals
of Scientific Technical Union of Mechanical Engineering "Industry 4.0"

Sustainability is topic of great concern since the last decade and still today does not lose of its popularity. Reason for that is that the contemporary way of living is causing great damages to the environment. Designers have been talking about changing the ways in which the products are designed in order to have sustainable product. But, for achieving sustainability many aspects need to be addressed, such as: cultural, social, economical and technological. Nowadays, we believe that these aspects are on higher level and we can talk about sustainable design.
Every product development process starts with the design phase and this is why we believe that it is most important for making improvements of the products. In this paper we have the premise that good and appropriate design can have positive influence on the sustainability. In order to check the validity of the premise we are reviewing paper dealing with sustainability, eco design, and engineering materials.

As global environmental impacts have increased, modern societies have expressed a strong interest in implementing sustainable solutions to reduce emissions and use operational energy and natural resources. The construction industry is a leading promoter of significant environmental impacts because it consumes a significant amount of water, energy, and materials. Steel and welding are critical in all three major sectors of the industry: construction, infrastructure, and industry. This paper discusses the significance of meeting sustainable development goals in welded structures and identifies ways that this industry can help to reduce environmental impact and improve employment conditions while achieving economic growth, saving time, and maintaining structural quality. The paper discusses how to optimize various aspects ranging from raw material extraction to construction waste disposal using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. It provides a starting point and demonstrates how these tools can contribute to more sustainable welded structures.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) Technologies are in constant development since their emergence in the late 80s. However, standardization is still in its infancy, owing to the numerous changing variables in each process. One of the most common are the material extrusion process, in which thermoplastic is extruded, also known as fused filament fabrication (FFF). The popularity of this process is due to the relatively simple method as well as the relatively good mechanical properties of the fabricated parts. There are numerous research studies evaluating mechanical properties because the FFF process allows for the investigation of many variables and the production of many parts with a wide range of characteristics. But how good are those characteristics in reality, and how good do we need them to be? It all depends on the application for which those parts are required.

Nanotechnology has grown in popularity due to the enormous potential for producing materials and products with diverse properties, allowing significant advancement of existing technology and the development of new innovative technologies. Nanomaterials behave differently at the nanoscale than their conventional counterparts, opening exciting new possibilities in a wide range of construction applications. Nonetheless, the lack of information on nanomaterials’ suitability, high costs, and health risks limits their use in construction and structural engineering. As a result, research must be conducted to provide accurate information and facts about the properties and performance of nanomaterials under various load conditions, as well as information on the advantages of using nanomaterials over other construction materials. This paper provides information on nanomaterial properties and how they affect structural materials’ microstructure and mechanical properties. It also demonstrates the benefits of using nanotechnology and suggests new possibilities.