Carbon Footprint of Manufacturing Processes: Conventional vs. Non-Conventional

Abstract

The calculation of carbon emissions is important to determine the carbon footprint and environmental impact of manufacturing processes to assess which steps could be further optimized and make processes greener and more sustainable. A previously published holistic approach to carbon footprint calculation was applied in conventional and laser-based material removal processes to determine which is the most carbon intensive one. The carbon footprint and environmental impact were calculated and the results show that conventional drilling was more carbon intensive than laser-based drilling, while the reverse was true for the case of laser-based grooving and conventional milling. This is because the cutting forces in conventional milling are higher than the cutting forces in conventional drilling due to increased mechanical resistance from the material in the first case. In the case of laser-based processes, the energy consumption is linked to material absorptivity which remained the same in this study. Carbon emissions on the process level were the lowest contributing factor, with the largest share being the production and rolling of steel allocated at the system level. The determination of the most carbon intensive steps and processes will allow companies to better design production lines towards carbon neutrality as dictated by the Green Deal.