Cost Based Process Optimization by Incrementally Changing the Cutting Data during Sustainable Machining

All companies strive towards lowering their manufacturing costs. Few companies do however succeed in continuously improving their production after the launch of a new production process. This article introduces a method for companies having an established technology to optimize their production in terms of part cost without disrupting the normal, day-to-day production. By incrementally chancing the process parameters such as for example cutting data as a function of the originally selected values, it is possible to optimize the production process. This is closely related to the lean production philosophy and long term sustainability which strives towards efficient use of resources and involvement of all employees in improving the production process. In the case study presented in this article it was found that by adding extra sulfur to the cutting fluid it was possible to decrease the part cost. By using the proposed method the company was able to decrease the part cost when manufacturing a specific part with approximately 5 %.