This study focuses on the evaluation of the environmental impact of the most common industrial processes used in metallic coating processes of thermoplastics. Among these, conductive painting, chemical metal deposition and high-vacuum metal deposition are considered. The methodology used was the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. The results show that conductive coating painting has the greatest environmental impact, especially due to the emission of volatile organic compounds. High-vacuum metal deposition exhibits the best environmental performance, with minimal raw material and energy consumptions throughout the process. However, the high cost associated with the purchase of the required equipment for the high vacuum technique have made conductive coating painting the most commonly used process.
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