Metal Machining Sustainability Issues: A Literature Review

This literature review examines the sustainability issues within metal machining processes. It highlights the environmental impacts of conventional and unconventional methods, including the use of cutting fluids, waste generation, and high energy consumption. The review explores the challenges faced by metal machining enterprises due to increased competition, stricter environmental regulations, and the need for improved environmental performance. It discusses various sustainability concerns, such as the health risks associated with cutting fluids, the need for recycling, and the importance of reducing energy usage. The review also covers advancements in machining processes like MQL and the use of alternative materials to address sustainability challenges. The document emphasizes the need for manufacturers to adopt eco-friendly practices and technologies to minimize environmental impacts and reduce costs. The review concludes by stressing the importance of further research and development in sustainable metal machining to protect both human health and the environment.

Running Head: METAL
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Metal Processing
Literature review
student
5/14/2019

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Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................1
Literature review.....................................................................................................................................1
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................6
References...................................................................................................................................................7

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Introduction
Machining is the term used to define a range of material elimination procedures in which the
cutting tool eliminates undesirable material from the work piece to create the preferred shape (Kopac,
2009). Metal machining manufacturing establishments are generally under cumulative pressure as the
outcome of competition, harsher environmental guidelines, supply chain requirements for improved
atmospheric performance and dwindling skill levels inside the production unit. Accepting sustainable
developed practices proposes metal machining businesses, of every size, a cost efficient route to
increase their financial, environmental and societal performance (Ghosh and Rao, 2015). Throughout the
manufacturing of particular part, a range of processes are required to remove extra unwanted material.
Three main machining processes that are used to remove excess material are turning, drilling, and
milling. Each procedure plays an essential role in how a specific item is manufactured and improves
every product’s exceptional properties.
Literature review
Although there is much advancement has been achieved in machining processes, but still there
are some sustainability issues in the conventional and unconventional processes specifically for metal.
According to Ingarao, Di Lorenzo, and Micari, (2011), in sheet metal manufacturing procedures there is
still an insufficient understanding in this field mostly because of the requirement of a proper exhibiting of
sustainability problems. Thy also reported that the conventional reprocessing is used with a melting stage
as a fundamental phase. These processes have a reuse competence minor than 55 per cent, in fact
throughout such processes a high quantity of the aluminium element presented in input is misplaced.
Furthermore, such practice is categorized by environmental contamination and high-energy usage.
According to Sreenivasan, Goel, and Bourell, (2010), Sustainability problems have turn into
important in deliberation of industrialized process collection and utilization. This is usable for additive
manufacturing (AM) procedures, though comparatively few AM practices have been openly examined for
impact on energy and environment. The outcomes provide an inspiration to perform other increased
diffusion rate practices to totally fill the holes and acquire high density efficient parts. They also identified
that in the processes substantial amounts of nickel has been observed in the preforms deprived of any
outside diffusion. If the external diffusive pressure were used, then increased concentrations of the nickel
would be perceived to inhabit the holes. One other problem is the elimination of unwanted trapped gases
and the fluids that occurs from the bath (Ford, and Despeisse, 2016).
Kopac, (2009) stated that due to the increased competition in the market the metal machining
enterprises have to deal with excessive pressure, stricter conservational rules, supply chain needs for
better environmental presentation and reducing skill levels. Increased temperature blends, like Nickel and
Titanium compounds, pose important problem in machining, because of their exceptional thermo-
mechanical features. They additionally recognized that in the conventional and unconventional machining
practice of metal, numerous cutting oils/emulsions are applied as the cutting liquids, even though they can
cause ecological contamination and health risks, including to the high prices involved. The Conventional
processes of cutting fluids are deliberated as one of the uppermost five wellbeing risks in the workstation.
Throughout machining procedure of metals, to enhance the sustainability functions, the ingredients that
are together ample in supply and generally have the ability for recycling with no important environmental
influence, must be used.
Kopac, and Pusavec, (2009) stated that presentation can be enriched by simply dropping energy
usage. Energy is the important resource for every engineering establishment. For instance, a projected
2/3 of the total electrical energy has been used by the machining manufacturing is for processing of
motors, and to drive (machine tools). The price of this electrical energy is nearly 100 times higher than
their early buying costs when used naturally for ten-year period. Compressed air is additional main cause
of using electricity in the process of metal machining.
Ford, and Despeisse, (2016) reported that the procedures that have to be applied to the alteration
of sheet metal into valuable items consume high energy. Every stage of the procedure, comprising the

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definite fabrication, transport, and delivery, takes its own portion. Numerous industrialists have initiated to
look into extra eco-friendly machineries and commercial processes to save their money and reduce the
impacts of processes on environment. When concerns work to apply energy more proficiently, they can
actually save their money and decrease the emissions of greenhouse gas. Naturally, most of the products
that use sheet manufacture come from the non-renewable assets. These comprise ore and some
minerals. Favorable reprocessing of these ingredients can assist slightly with the problem of applying raw
ingredients in an additional sustainable manner. According to Ahn, (2016), Sheet metal producers that
can emphasis upon recycle and reprocessing can preserve ingredients and decrease their own prices.
The practice to construct sheet metal generally uses dissimilar solvents, superficial treatments, cutting
mediators, and more. These specific chemicals are frequently poisonous, thus they are tough to use in
and problematic to organize of. This can generate environmental threats within the industrial plant and
inside the communal. Khatib, (2016), revealed that Investigators have been seeing into techniques to
minimalize the influence of these specific chemicals and harmless alternates that might be applied.
On the other hand Shao, Brodsky, Shin, and Kim (2017), stated that the sheet metal
manufacturers require applying lots of water in the machining process of metal. Water acts like a dust
suppressant, coolant, and a cleaner. In certain parts, this dependence upon fresh water complements
expenditure and even places a drain upon a serious resource. In certain nations, there might be better
substitutions than continuously relying upon the fresh water. Particular instances include purification of
the sea water or the grey water. Lessening of dependence upon the fresh water can likewise reduce the
costs and benefits in making metal sheet fabrication additional sustainable. According to Garretson, Mani,
Leong, Lyons, andHaapala, 2016), Heaps of non-degradable unwanted products appear of the sheet
metal practice. This substantial must be disposed of or recycled in certain manner. In contemporary
years, novel technology has assisted to decrease waste and increases management of waste. They also
revealed that the particular issue is not as large as it used to be; nonetheless handling the waste is still
additional problem that requires addressing.
According to Haider, and Hashmi (2014), new machining procedures like electro-discharge, laser
beam, and the water jet cutting are likewise developing as replacements to traditional procedures and for
particular uses. Similar to any other industrialized methods, machining creates numerous by-products or
trashes comprising metal chips/swarf saturated with cutting fluid, expended cutting fluid, oil polluted
water, oil haze, metal powder, and needless energy practices. They further recognized that these
rubbishes have major concerns for wellbeing, the atmosphere, efficiency, and manufacturing prices. In
last few years, owing to the growing social consciousness of wellbeing and ecological problems, new and
stricter regulations are being presented in order to diminish the influence on the atmosphere, hence
generating an additional sustainable world.
Fratila, (2009) stated that, the metal-working solutions persuade both financial and conservational
issues in their use, management and discarding. As an instance, it is projected that for every US dollar
compensated when metal-working liquids are bought, eleven cents are paid for mixing, handling, and
treating and discard process. Welfares conveyed by cutting fluids included on the metal machining are
noticeable; however at the similar time, because of their composition, the machine-tool operator’s health
might be affected due to the long exposure period. Fratila further stated that moreover, they contaminate
the atmosphere when not appropriately eliminated. They also revealed that specifically In the US, 47
billion kWh of the manufacturing used electricity is spent by the metal processing production units. This
energy amount relates to a share of 5 per cent of the entire industrial electricity usage in the United
States.
Ghosh and Rao (2015), Sustainability in the metal cutting process could likewise be attained by
totally eliminating or by dropping the application of cutting fluid. The MQL method is one answer for this
issue in which precisely small quantity of cutting liquid is used throughout machining process of metal.
The work-related disease caused by haze creation and expenditure of cutting fluid are the major
disadvantages linked with least amount lubrication machining. Protected Metal Arc Welding or SMAW is a
widespread metal fabrication procedure in manufacture, shipbuilding processes and the metal structure
productions. SMAW was applied for welding of stainless steel, high-carbon steel, copper, brass, and even
aluminium. In the manufacturing units Flux is the leading cause for the creation of dust and additional

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process trashes. Welding procedures are prone to have opposing effects on human wellbeing and
atmosphere because of the aerosol and Greenhouse Gasses (GhGs) produced. All these issues might be
problematic for human health as well as environment.
Conclusion
Machining is the process eliminating the material which includes cutting tool to remove the
unwanted material from the work. After reviewing different research article it has been established that
there are number of sustainability issues in conventional and unconventional machining processes for
metal. There issues includes health hazard for humans, environmental issues and consumptions of high
energy or electricity. It also enhances the costs of energy use in processing metal. Although different
manufacturers now looking for other methods of metal processing, by it still need more emphasis to
reduce the impacts of these processes on human health and environment.

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References
D. G., Ahn, “Direct metal additive manufacturing processes and their sustainable applications for
green technology: A review”, International Journal of Precision Engineering and
Manufacturing-Green Technology, Vol 3, no.4, pp. 381-395, 2016
S., Ford and M. Despeisse, “Additive manufacturing and sustainability: an exploratory study of
the advantages and challenges”, Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol 137, pp. 1573-1587,
2016.
D. Fratila, “Evaluation of near-dry machining effects on gear milling process
efficiency”, Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol 17 No 9, pp. 839-845, 2009.
I. C., Garretson, M., Mani, S., Leong, K. W., Lyons, and K. R. Haapala, “Terminology to
support manufacturing process characterization and assessment for sustainable
production”, Journal of cleaner production, Vol 139, pp. 986-1000, 2016.
S., Ghosh, and P. V. Rao, “Application of sustainable techniques in metal cutting for enhanced
machinability: a review”, Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol 100, pp. 17-34, 2015.
J., Haider, and M. S. J. Hashmi, “8.02—Health and environmental impacts in metal machining
processes”, Comprehensive materials processing, Vol 8, pp. 7-33, 2014.
G., Ingarao, R., Di Lorenzo, and F. Micari, “Sustainability issues in sheet metal forming
processes: an overview”, Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol 19 no 4, pp. 337-347, 2011.
J. Khatib, “Sustainability of construction materials”, Woodhead Publishing, 2016.

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J. Kopac, “Achievements of sustainable manufacturing by machining”, Journal of Achievements
in Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, Vol 34 no 2, pp. 180-187, 2009.
J., Kopac, and F. Pusavec, “Sustainability spirit in manufacturing/machining processes”,
In PICMET'09-2009 Portland International Conference on Management of Engineering
& Technology, pp. 1197-1205, 2009, IEEE.
G., Shao, A., Brodsky, S. J., Shin, and D. B. Kim, “Decision guidance methodology for
sustainable manufacturing using process analytics formalism”, Journal of Intelligent
Manufacturing, Vol 28 no 2, pp. 455-472, 2017.
R., Sreenivasan, A., Goel, and D. L. Bourell, “Sustainability issues in laser-based additive
manufacturing”, Physics Procedia, Vol 5, pp. 81-90, 2010.