Sustainability Characterization for Die Casting Process

Abstract

The manufacturing sector accounts for approximately one-third of the total energy consumption in the United States. Today, sustainable manufacturing has become an area of increasing interest, as companies look to reduce their manufacturing footprint and become more environmentally friendly. A science-based methodology, known as sustainability characterization, has the potential for providing companies a way to measure the sustainability of their manufacturing processes. In this paper, the sustainability characterization methodology was used to evaluate the sustainability of die casting unit manufacturing process. More specifically, a way to theoretically model sustainability, based on energy use, was investigated. Using the fundamentals of die casting processes, corresponding input-outputs were first mapped in terms of sustainability parameters and later equations to theoretically calculate the energy used in a die casting machine were identified/formulated. The theoretical energy equations provide a baseline for creating an information model that will eventually lead to creating a science-based methodology standard for sustainability characterization of unit manufacturing processes.