Investment Casting Looking at Circular Economy – on the Way to Sustainability
ICF conferences are always built around a theme. A theme that is relevant for the members and industry stakeholders. Relevant in the sense that should help to focus on elements to progress, enhancing solutions provided to the market and improve competitiveness. EICF 2024 Conference selected theme is “Investment Casting on the Way to Sustainability”. Although the Call for Papers shall be launched next month of September it might be a good opportunity to review in advance some of the concepts behind, the challenges and the opportunities or setbacks this approach pushed forward by legislation and society demands represents. Circular Economy is an economic model that aims to
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reduce waste, promote sustainability, and maximize the use of resources by keeping materials and products in a continuous loop of use, reuse, and regeneration. The concept revolves around minimizing the consumption of finite resources and reducing the environmental impact associated with traditional linear production and consumption patterns (take-make-dispose). Circular Economy in contraposition with Linear
Economy, should be consider as a new way to compete. This approach is not aimed to maximize the environmental dimension but to optimize it in relation with the Life Cycle Cost for a product or for an organization. Life Cycle thinking is important for holistically measuring the environmental and economic costs and benefits of activities in a circular economy. This helps to avoid shifting problems among different stakeholders and different stages of the life cycle. Through methods such as life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC), the environmental and monetary flows of a product or service that passes through different life cycle stages and stakeholders can be mapped. The objective is to IMPROVE THE COMPETITIVE
CAPACITY of organizations by helping to create new competitive spaces, anticipating customer requirements, which involve reducing negative social and environmental externalities. Circular Economy should be considered then as a tool to mitigate the risk that entails the implementation of the concept of sustainability in the organizations turning it, into an advantageous opportunity. Therefore, for an organization the underlying management principle should be to consider the environmental dimension as a variable of strategic nature and involved in the design of the products and services offered. This requires developing new management models and
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governance integrating innovation management objectives, environment, process quality, supply chain and risks. The objective is to develop innovation projects aligning them with the challenges of the fight against climate change and the SDGs (UN Sustainable Development Goals) In essence, this implies a cultural change in organizations
which needs to be considered and managed from the perspective of the implementation of new corporate values supported by motivational systems for the people involved. Now, let's explain how Circular Economy principles can be applied to Investment Casting Foundry Technology:
1. Resource Efficiency: In a Circular Economy, the emphasis is on optimizing the use of raw materials. Investment casting can support this principle by utilizing the "lost-wax" method, where the mold is made from a material that can be reclaimed and reused, reducing waste compared to other casting processes. 2. Reuse of Materials:
The Circular Economy
encourages the reuse of materials whenever possible. In investment casting, excess metal can be melted down and reused in future casting processes, reducing the need for additional raw materials. Ceramic shell waste valorization could be another example of circular economy. 3. Remanufacturing and Refurbishment: In a Circular
Economy, products and components are designed to be easily repairable and refurbished. Similarly, in investment casting, worn-out or damaged molds can be repaired, extending their lifespan and reducing the need to create new molds. 4. Product Design for Disassembly: Circular design
principles involve designing products in a way that facilitates disassembly and separation of materials at the end of their life. In investment casting, considering disassembly during product design can make it easier to reclaim valuable metals from used components. 5. Recycling and Regeneration:
Circular Economy
promotes recycling and regeneration of materials. In the context of investment casting, scrap metal generated during the process can be collected and recycled to create new castings, thereby reducing the demand for virgin raw materials. 6. Extended Product Life:
Circular Economy
encourages the production of durable and long-lasting products. Investment casting can contribute to this by producing high-quality and reliable metal components that have a prolonged service life.
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