Energy Consumption and Environmental Impacts of Milling Process
Manufacturing is a prime wealth-creating activity for any nation. Rising environmental
and social concerns have made environmental issues pertinent to industry along with
development. Since manufacturing processes contribute significantly to energy and
resource consumption, they are responsible for large amount of carbon emissions. Natural
resources are depleted at a high rate to meet the ever rising demand of industrial
development and this also causes rise in carbon emissions. It also contributes to the threat
of climate change, waste management, global warming, and eco-system imbalance. According to a study conducted by International Energy Agency (IEA), manufacturing industries account for one-third of global energy consumption and 36% of net global carbon emissions. The growth of manufacturing is expected to
continue for a long time to fulfill the aspiring needs of the population in developing and
emerging countries.
Energy is one of the key inputs for manufacturing. Sustainable development, energy
security, increasing energy cost, and political compulsions force nations and industry to
strive for energy efficiency. This has motivated/forced the manufacturing organizations to
adapt sustainable manufacturing practices. Sustainable manufacturing as defined by the
US department of commerce is the creation of manufactured products by using processes
which minimize negative environmental impacts, conserve energy and natural resources,
are safe for employees, communities, and consumers and are economically sound. A large and growing number of manufacturers are realizing that sustainable business practices provide financial and environmental benefits.
This has led to the development of strategies to improve energy efficiency and reduce
environmental impacts in the manufacturing sector. From the industrial perspective, new
and improved set of management and production practices are required to identify the
sustainable energy options and achieve cleaner production.
Machining, a key manufacturing activity, has been targeted for energy reduction
because of its size and importance. Machining uses electrical energy and natural resources
to convert raw materials into useful products, while creating negative environmental
impacts. CNC machine tools are widely used in modern machining activities for better precision, repeatability, flexibility, and ability to produce complex shapes. Machine tools are not only dominant electric energy consumers in manufacturing industries but also responsible for high carbon emissions. Their efficiency is less than 30%; hence, machine tools have a major potential for energy efficiency gains and savings.
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