Flexible laser-based manufacturing in the FLASH project: an environmental and economic approach through LCA and LCC

Main Presenter:    Madalena Medeiros 

Co-Authors:   João Duarte     Giovanni Borsoi                                          

The FLASH project (Flexible Laser-based manufacturing through precision photon distribution) aims to shift the existing manufacturing paradigm (including cutting, drilling, welding, cladding and micro-machining, among others) by exploiting the benefits of multi-process laser systems and enabling flexible and customizable production. Among other benefits, the project intends to reduce energy consumption in comparison with traditional laser processes and allow for the replacement of traditional mechanical and chemical processes, reducing consumables and waste generation.
In order to quantify the expected benefits in terms of environmental and economic performance, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCC) are applied to the multiple processes accessible with the FLASH machine. The analysis focuses on manufacturing processes combining multiple laser-based steps and are conducted using a cradle-to-gate system boundary, covering raw material extraction and component manufacturing stages. The LCA considers indicators such as greenhouse gas emissions, water, mineral resource consumption, and toxicity, while the LCC addresses costs associated with raw materials, energy consumption, consumables, and process operation.
Five industrial use-cases in operational environments were selected, i.e.: acetabular cups in hip implant systems; the manufacturing of polycrystalline diamond micro drills and Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN) grinding wheels; manufacturing and assembly of automotive cross car beams; and stripping and welding of copper hairpins. In these use cases, the FLASH laser processing replaces multiple resource and energy intensive process steps.
The combined LCA-LCC assessment enables the determination of the potential improvement in environmental performance that could be achieved by introducing the proposed laser-based technologies into the manufacturing process, while simultaneously identifying their economic viability relative to conventional alternatives. When compared to the current state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies used in each industrial case study, these multi-process laser systems showed promising results, with reductions up to 40% in global warming potential (GWP) and up to 15% in toxicity, primarily due to decreasing energy consumption and removing the need for hazardous chemicals.

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