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SUPPLEMENT SUSTAINABILITY IN MANUFACTURING SUSTAINABILITY FOR PR THE IMPORTANCE O As the UK races to achieve ambitious Net Zero goals, there are


numerous opportunities to make new product designs more sustainable – from integrating greener materials to exploring efficient manufacturing methods to help cut emissions. Rory Ingram, design engineering team lead at the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS),


operated by the University of Strathclyde, discusses why manufacturers should put environmental sustainability front and centre during the product and system development phases


never been more pressure on businesses to take action to limit their impact on the planet. These global conversations have therefore moved environmental sustainability up the agenda for many. Hardware manufacturers must consider


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environmental sustainability within their emerging or evolving operations, not least in product and system development. Sustainable design from the outset allows them to meet emerging demands and avoid them being left behind.


PRODUCT DESIGN When it comes to manufacturing, the design phase of any project unlocks the most potential for achieving sustainability within a product or


s the UK and Scottish Governments set targets of achieving Net Zero by 2050 and 2045 respectively, there has


part. Here, decisions are made that impact the sustainability of part manufacture, how environmentally friendly it will be in operation, and what happens at the end of life when it is beyond repair or remanufacture. Questions we’ll explore include whether the


selected material is making the part too heavy or whether the coating makes it more difficult to recycle. We’ll also consider where the material is sourced from – is it the opposite side of the planet, for example, when a suitable alternative could be sourced locally? Asking these questions before manufacture is


essential because decisions made during this phase can have a negative effect later on, such as during decommissioning. Responsible, forward thinking manufacturers, will also focus on user friendliness and ensure that parts are serviceable, allowing maintenance, repair and remanufacture.


SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING DESIGN


There is a global drive to achieve more sustainable engineering design and this is echoed within many of the R&D projects coming through to the Design Engineering team here at the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS). In fact, funding for R&D is increasingly much


more likely to be awarded for a sustainable project, and we’re noticing that sustainable designs across all sectors are more likely to attract investment – providing a real competitive edge to businesses on the front foot. The linear models once accepted – where a part goes to landfill after use – are being replaced by circular models where the hardware, or elements of it, are reused. Instead of cradle-to-grave, design should look to achieve a cradle-to-cradle model with a new lease of life at the end, recapturing a significant portion of value. At NMIS, the Design Engineering


team is completely agnostic, we’re not tied to any sectors or technologies, meaning we redeploy our significant and diverse industry experience and the tools we’ve developed within any project. We consider ourselves process experts instead of application experts, making it low risk to work with us. As part of the High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult family, we’re here to create impact. We want your projects to be successful – bringing the very best of manufacturing back to Scotland and the wider UK with sustainable solutions that support Net Zero targets.


Architects impression of the new NMIS HQ


32 DESIGN SOLUTIONS - SUPPLEMENT FEBRUARY 2023


THE FIVE ‘R’ STRATEGY There are many benefits to be reaped from using recyclable materials. Virgin material is scarce, rarely local to the UK, and the sourcing of


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