A quantitative approach to analyze carbon emissions of CNC-based machining systems

With the growing concerns on global warming, much research attention has been focused on industrial activities which largely consume energy and emit carbon to the atmosphere. Low-carbon manufacturing, aiming to reduce carbon intensity and enhance resource utilization, is then emerging as a timely topic and spurs much research into a low carbon scenario. This paper proposes an analytical method of quantifying carbon emissions of a computer numerical control (CNC)-based machining system. In particular, the paper discusses the breakdown of the processes that contribute to the overall carbon emissions of a CNC-based machining system, such as electricity, cutting fluid, wear and tear of cutting tools, material consumption and disposal of chips, etc. The way of quantifying the amount of carbon emissions from individual processes are then analyzed. Finally, the proposed methodology is applied into two different machining cases, in which the impact of different machining parameters and different machining methods on carbon emissions in the CNC machining process are analyzed, respectively.