Ack. Choi et al., MANUFACTURING PROCESSES MODELING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL-IMPACT ASSESSMENT, Journal of materials processing technology, 70(1-3), 1997, pp. 231-238
Pursuing clean production and the manufacturing of green products are
very beneficial in the alleviation of environmental burdens. In order
to reap such benefits, a life-cycle analysis should be applied for all
products and processes. Thus, establishing an assessment model for ma
nufacturing processes in terms of environmental impact is necessary fo
r quantitative evaluation of product design. In this paper, an assessm
ent methodology is developed on the basis of the 'material balance' of
a process and the relationship amongst different processes. As a resu
lt, the amount of solid waste generated, the energy consumed, the wast
e-water incurred as well as the level of noise are obtained. A case st
udy of the production of a toy train with twelve scenarios is performe
d to illustrate and examine the assessment model, this study showing t
hat the number of components, the selection of materials and processes
, and recyclability are the essential factors to determine whether the
products are environmentally-oriented. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.