Application of axiomatic design principles to identify more sustainable strategies for grinding

G Model JMSY-156; No. of Pages 8 ARTICLE IN PRESS Journal of Manufacturing Systems xxx (2012) xxx– xxx Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Journal of Manufacturing Systems jo u r n al hom epa ge: www.elsevier.com/locate/jmansys Technical paper Application of axiomatic design principles to identify more sustainable strategies for grinding Barbara S. Linke ∗ , David A. Dornfeld Laboratory for Manufacturing and Sustainability (LMAS), University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 15 May 2012 Received in revised form 10 July 2012 Accepted 18 July 2012 Available online xxx Keywords: Grinding Grinding tool Sustainable manufacturing Axiomatic design a b s t r a c t It has become increasingly important for manufacturers to implement sustainability into tool and process design. Existing models that evaluate the sustainability of abrasive processes focus mostly on case studies of selected energy and resource streams and rarely contain holistic process models. This study uses basic principles of axiomatic design to fundamentally describe grinding technology in a way that can be used for life cycle assessment. The functional requirements of the machining process are linked to process, tool, and coolant design parameters based upon common process understanding. However, these connections leave space for future quantitative and qualitative formulae. Sustainability metrics are then connected to the axiomatic process model. This work represents a first effort in developing this type of model. Finally, the model is used to qualitatively evaluate the impact of grit size on process sustainability showing that the method is feasible to identify strategies to increase sustainability in grinding. © 2012 The Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Abrasive processes are key technologies to stably achieve high surface quality and dimensional tolerances [1,2]. Furthermore, they are often the only economical way to cut difficult-to-machine materials such as cemented carbides or nickel-based alloys. Abrasive tools have a huge variety of compositions and specifi- cations and are produced by many different manufacturing chains. The tool design affects the abrasive machining process (i.e., the tool use phase) in terms of productivity, workpiece quality, and wear behavior. There has been a lot of research done to under- stand the role of the grinding tool in the grinding process. Some expert systems exist that can choose grinding process parame- ters [3–5] or select the grinding tool [6,7] for certain applications. These tools are often based on fuzzy logic or artificial neural net- works and implement data only for a certain range of applications. The reliable prediction of grinding process behavior and results remains impossible [8]. Furthermore, environmental aspects are rarely implemented in environmentally conscious product design methodologies [9]. Based on these aspects, current expert systems have limited transparency so that users and tool suppliers mostly choose the grinding tool based on personal experience. Sustainability includes environmental and social aspects in addition to the economical view. Sustainability in abrasive ∗ Corresponding author at: University of California at Berkeley, 1115 Etcheverry, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. Tel.: +1 510 717 9585. E-mail address: barbaralinke@me.berkeley.edu (B.S. Linke). machining is a growing concern that has been recognized by both academia and industry [10–14]. However, the essential aspect of abrasive tool design and its impact on process eco-efficiency have not yet been examined from a holistic perspective. The grinding tool design process is often not transparent to the customer and relies on the expertise of the tool manufac- turer. Therefore, it is hard to incorporate resource and energy efficiency considerations for tool manufacturers and users. The product design process needs to be supported by methodologies that enable an assessment of the environmental effects of every life cycle phase [15]. This paper intends to reduce the gap between tool design and sustainability considerations by building an axiomatic grinding process model that can be used for life cycle considera- tions. Appropriate sustainability metrics will be defined. The model is then applied to qualitative decisions on the grit size in tool design which proves the feasibility of the axiomatic model. 2. Methods 2.1. Life cycle inventory of grinding Many different standards and methodologies exist to evaluate the environmental impacts of the life cycle of products, processes, and manufacturing systems. The most commonly used method is life cycle assessment (LCA), which includes its variants process LCA, Economic Input–Output LCA, and hybrid LCA [16]. However, eval- uating discrete manufacturing processes is challenging because of multiple and interrelated system variables. Today, most life cycle 0278-6125/$ – see front matter © 2012 The Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmsy.2012.07.007 Please cite this article in press as: Linke BS, Dornfeld DA. Application of axiomatic design principles to identify more sustainable strategies for grinding. J Manuf Syst (2012), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmsy.2012.07.007