Science Current Events | Science News | Brightsurf.com
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print Manufacturing inefficiency

Manufacturing inefficiency

March 30, 2009

Modern manufacturing methods are spectacularly inefficient in their use of energy and materials, according to a detailed MIT analysis of the energy use of 20 major manufacturing processes.

Overall, new manufacturing systems are anywhere from 1,000 to one million times bigger consumers of energy, per pound of output, than more traditional industries. In short, pound for pound, making microchips uses up orders of magnitude more energy than making manhole covers.




At first glance, it may seem strange to make comparisons between such widely disparate processes as metal casting and chip making. But Professor Timothy Gutowski of MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering, who led the analysis, explains that such a broad comparison of energy efficiency is an essential first step toward optimizing these newer manufacturing methods as they gear up for ever-larger production.

"The seemingly extravagant use of materials and energy resources by many newer manufacturing processes is alarming and needs to be addressed alongside claims of improved sustainability from products manufactured by these means," Gutowksi and his colleagues say in their conclusion to the study, which was recently published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology (ES&T).

Gutowksi notes that manufacturers have traditionally been more concerned about factors like price, quality, or cycle time, and not as concerned over how much energy their manufacturing processes use. This latter issue will become more important, however, as the new industries scale up -- especially if energy prices rise again or if a carbon tax is adopted, he says.

Solar panels are a good example. Their production, which uses some of the same manufacturing processes as microchips but on a large scale, is escalating dramatically. The inherent inefficiency of current solar panel manufacturing methods could drastically reduce the technology's lifecycle energy balance -- that is, the ratio of the energy the panel would produce over its useful lifetime to the energy required to manufacture it.

The new study is just "the first step in doing something about it," Gutowski says -- understanding which processes are most inefficient and need further research to develop less energy-intensive alternatives. For example, many of the newer processes involve vapor-phase processing (such as sputtering, in which a material is vaporized in a vacuum chamber so that it deposits a coating on an exposed surface in that chamber), which is usually much less efficient than liquid phase (such as depositing a coating from a liquid solution), but liquid processing alternatives might be developed.

The study covered everything "from soup to nuts" in terms of standard industrial methods, Gutowski says, "from heavy-duty old fashioned industries like a cast-iron foundry, all the way up to semiconductors and nanomaterials." It includes injection molding, sputtering, carbon nanofiber production and dry etching, along with more traditional machining, milling, drilling and melting. There were some boundaries on the processes studied, however: The researchers did not analyze production of pharmaceuticals or petroleum, and they only looked primarily at processes where electricity was the primary energy source.

The figures the team derived are actually conservative, Gutowski says, because they did not include some significant energy costs such as the energy required to make the materials themselves or the energy required to maintain the environment of the plant (such as air conditioning and filtration for clean rooms used in semiconductor processing). "All these things would make [the energy costs] worse," he says.

The bottom line is that "new processes are huge users of materials and energy," he says. Because some of these processes are so new, "they will be optimized and improved over time," he says. But as things stand now, over the last several decades as traditional processes such as machining and casting have increasingly given way to newer ones for the production of semiconductors, MEMS and nano-materials and devices, for a given quantity of output "we have increased our energy and materials consumption by three to six orders of magnitude."

One message from the study is that "claims that these technologies are going to save us in some way need closer scrutiny. There's a significant energy cost involved here," he says. And another is that "each of these processes could be improved," and using the analytical tools developed by the MIT team for this study would be a useful first step in such a detailed analysis.

In addition to Gutowski, the study was done by current and former MIT mechanical engineering students Matthew Branham, Jeffrey Dahmus, Alissa Jones and Alexandre Thiriez, and Dusan Sekulic, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Kentucky. It was funded by the National Science Foundation.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology



Related Manufacturing Current Events and Manufacturing News Articles Manufacturing Current Events and Manufacturing News RSS Manufacturing Current Events and Manufacturing News RSS
Breakthrough in fight against Hendra virus
There has been a breakthrough in the fight against the deadly Hendra virus following the development of a treatment which shows great potential to save the lives of people who become infected with the virus.

USU scientists report major advance in human antibody therapy against deadly Nipah virus
A collaborative research team from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), Australian Animal Health Laboratory and National Cancer Institute, a component of the National Institutes of Health, reports a major step forward in the development of an effective therapy against two deadly viruses, Nipah virus and the related Hendra virus.

North America automobile sector bottom of 'world sustainability league'
The study, entitled Sustainable Value in Automobile Manufacturing, looks at the sustainability performance of 17 leading car manufacturers worldwide between 1999 and 2007.

Extra care for outwardly healthy workers costs companies millions annually
Someone healthy enough to work could still cost an employer more than $4,000 annually in unnecessary health care costs.

Boston University scientists first to see RNA network in live bacterial cells
Scientists who study RNA have faced a formidable roadblock: trying to examine RNA's movements in a living cell when they can't see the RNA. Now, a new technology has given scientists the first look ever at RNA in a live bacteria cell-a sight that could offer new information about how the molecule moves and works.

Installed cost of solar photovoltaic systems in the US fell in 2008
Researchers at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) released a new study on the installed costs of solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the U.S., showing that the average cost of these systems declined by more than 30 percent from 1998 to 2008. Within the last year of this period, costs fell by more than 4 percent.

Designer molecule detects tiny amounts of cyanide, then glows
A small molecule designed to detect cyanide in water samples works quickly, is easy to use, and glows under ultraviolet or "black" light.

Smallest Nanoantennas for High-speed Data Networks
More than 120 years after the discovery of the electromagnetic character of radio waves by Heinrich Hertz, wireless data transmission dominates information technology.

Report examines hidden costs of energy production and use
A new report from the National Research Council examines and, when possible, estimates "hidden" costs of energy production and use -- such as the damage air pollution imposes on human health -- that are not reflected in market prices of coal, oil, other energy sources, or the electricity and gasoline produced from them.

Quantum computer chips now 1 step closer to reality
In the quest for smaller, faster computer chips, researchers are increasingly turning to quantum mechanics -- the exotic physics of the small. The problem: the manufacturing techniques required to make quantum devices have been equally exotic. That is, until now.
More Manufacturing Current Events and Manufacturing News Articles
All I Need to Know About Manufacturing I Learned in Joe's Garage: World Class Manufacturing Made Simple

All I Need to Know About Manufacturing I Learned in Joe's Garage: World Class Manufacturing Made Simple
by William B. Miller (Author), Vicki L. Schenk. (Author)

ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MANUFACTURING I LEARNED IN JOE S GARAGE explains basic principles of customer focused, high quality, low cost, on-time business management. This international bestseller is endorsed by reviewers from Business Week and other publications, and by numerous business and educational leaders.

ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MANUFACTURING I LEARNED IN JOE S GARAGE is used by thousands of companies, large and small throughout the world, to improve profitability, performance, and employee satisfaction. The book uses a lighthearted short story that explains in easily understandable terms the concepts and techniques of 21st-century business management. It illustrates clearly how to forge a strategy for the future that will lead to outstanding personal and professional...

  Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing: Materials, Processes, and Systems
by Mikell P. Groover (Author)

Engineers rely on Groover because of the book’s quantitative and engineering-oriented approach that provides more equations and numerical problem exercises. The fourth edition introduces more modern topics, including new materials, processes and systems.  End of chapter problems are also thoroughly revised to make the material more relevant. Several figures have been enhanced to significantly improve the quality of artwork. All of these changes will help engineers better understand the topic and how to apply it in the field.

Manufacturing Processes for Design Professionals

Manufacturing Processes for Design Professionals
by Rob Thompson (Author)

An encyclopaedic guide to production techniques and materials for product and industrial designers, engineers, and architects.

Today's product designers are presented with a myriad of choices when creating their work and preparing it for manufacture. They have to be knowledgeable about a vast repertoire of processes, ranging from what used to be known as traditional "crafts" to the latest technology, to enable their designs to be manufactured effectively and efficiently. Information on the internet about such processes is often unreliable, and search engines do not usefully organize material for designers.

This fundamental new resource explores innovative production techniques and materials that are having an impact on the design industry worldwide. Organized into four...

Lean Manufacturing That Works: Powerful Tools for Dramatically Reducing Waste and Maximizing Profits

Lean Manufacturing That Works: Powerful Tools for Dramatically Reducing Waste and Maximizing Profits
by Bill Carreira (Author)

"The one and only reason to go lean is to make more money", says Bill Carreira. Lean Manufacturing That Works is the first book to bring all the principles of lean manufacturing to where they're needed most: the shop floor and the people supervising daily operations. Engagingly written and easy to put to work, the book features essential tools that can help streamline operations in any manufacturing environment.Section 1 presents a thorough overview of lean, with discussions of: cost and cash flow; velocity and lead time; what waste is and how it affects both profit and customer satisfaction; how to quantify opportunities to become more profitable; and how to use lean manufacturing to both complement and implement business strategy.Section 2 gives step-by-step, dollar-by-dollar guidance...

Making It: Manufacturing Techniques for Product Design

Making It: Manufacturing Techniques for Product Design
by Chris Lefteri (Author)

There are many different ways in which a product can be manufactured, but most designers probably know only a handful of techniques in any detail. Using contemporary design as a vehicle to describe production processes, this book covers a broad range of almost 90 production methods with descriptive text, specially commissioned diagrams, product shots, and photographs of the manufacturing process. It will appeal not only to product designers involved in lighting, consumer electronics, packaging, domestic accessories and tableware, but also to interior designers, furniture and graphic designers who need access to a range of production methods, as well as to all students of design.

Manufacturing Consent - Noam Chomsky and the Media

Manufacturing Consent - Noam Chomsky and the Media
Starring: William F. Buckley, Noam Chomsky, Kelvin Flook, Edward S. Herman, Peter Jennings
Directed By: Peter Wintonick
Also With: Noam Chomsky (Primary Contributor)

Funny, provocative and surprisingly accessible, MANUFACTURING CONSENT explores the political life and ideas of world-renowned linguist, intellectual and political activist Noam Chomsky. Through a dynamic collage of biography, archival gems, imaginative graphics and outrageous illustrations, Mark Achbar and Peter Wintonick's award-winning documentary highlights Chomsky's probing analysis of mass media and his critique of the forces at work behind the daily news. Available for the first time anywhere on DVD, MANUFACTURING CONSENT features appearances by journalists Bill Moyers and Peter Jennings, pundit William F. Buckley Jr., novelist Tom Wolfe and philosopher Michel Foucault. This Edition features an exclusive ten-years-after video interview with Chomsky.

QuickBooks Premier Manufacturing & Wholesale 2010

QuickBooks Premier Manufacturing & Wholesale 2010
by Intuit

QuickBooks Premier Manufacturing & Wholesale offers an easy set of accounting, inventory and other time-saving tools to meet the demands of today’s businesses. Use industry tools to manage inventory & costs, track customer orders, monitor pending builds and assemblies and more. Plus, get all the advantages of QuickBooks Pro.

Steck Manufacturing 32955 BigEasy Glow Easy Wedge Lockout Kit

Steck Manufacturing 32955 BigEasy Glow Easy Wedge Lockout Kit
by Steck Manufacturing

Steck Manufacturing BigEasy Classic lockout tool kit is designed to not endanger airbag activation or disconnected door linkages. The 55" long handle comes with a Glow-in-the-dark yellow finish that allows you to see the tool at night or through tinted windows. The improved non-marring wedge is now wider, longer and smoother. This kit also includes a lock knob lifter for cars with flat lock knobs at the top of the door.

Manufacturing & Technology eJournal

Manufacturing & Technology eJournal
by Manufacturing & Technology eJournal -- mfrtech.com

Manufacturing & Technology eJournal provides subscribers with breaking news in the manufacturing industry as it happens. Readers enjoy articles on new plant announcements, aquisitions, industry specific white papers, featured editorial on topics effecting manufacturing today and much more. Readers now have the ability to discuss articles in our new interactive forum. Subscribe Today!Kindle blogs are fully downloaded onto your Kindle so you can read them even when you're not wirelessly connected. And unlike RSS readers which often only provide headlines, blogs on Kindle give you full text content and images, and are updated wirelessly throughout the day.

Industrial Laser Solutions for Manufacturing

Industrial Laser Solutions for Manufacturing
by Pennwell Publishing Company

Link between users, manufacturers, and suppliers of industrial lasers. Coverage includes news of lasers on the production line, reports on actual applications, new systems and other products, technical and economic analyses, market trends, and exclusive conference reports.

© 2009 BrightSurf.com