Page 57 - Shaping A Sustainable Future

Figure 8 is an example of the CNC Process Flow Chart. Electricity Usage: we noted that the air compressor was
The other waste generated by the process is oil. The a model FC180, as shown in Figure 9. We were able to
company has the arrangement to dispose of the oil. check its energy usage and calculate its carbon footprint.
The description of the FC180 is shown in Figure 10.

Figure 9: FC180 Air compressor used by
Figure 8: CNC process flow chart Champion Precision Manufacturing

Champion Precision Manufacturing recycle and reuse
the coolant used for CNC Milling. However, the recycling
process uses electricity to remove the metal chips and
oil from the coolant. An air compressor is used for
this process, and it is switched on continuously. We
noted that the power consumption is high for the air
compressor and decided to investigate deeper to see
how we could reduce power consumption and the
associated carbon footprint.

The coolant used requires water as a mixture and
topping up as it tends to evaporate. Water usage is also
high, as indicated by the company, and it prompted us to
explore possible ways to save water in their operation.

Figure 10: Description of FC180 air compressor

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