1,720,972 research outputs found
Lifecycle optimization in the refrigeration industry: a Decision-Support Simulation Toolbox (DSST)
Full text linkAbstractThis paper presents a set of intermediate results related to the ELICiT project, whose purpose is the application of magnetic cooling technology within domestic refrigeration appliances. An innovative Simulation Toolbox, able to offer a better support to designers during the design process, was implemented. This way, a real time comparison of both economic and environmental variables related to magnetic cooling systems will be available. After the implementation phase, the Simulation Toolbox was directly tested in a real industrial context. Finally, gathered data were compared with conventional refrigeration solutions
Life Cycle Assessment Tool in Product Development: Environmental Requirements in Decision Making Process
Full text linkAbstractIn recent years, sustainable development has acquired a relevant position in our society. In this context, the design of modern products must consider these issues when creating eco-friendly and socially acceptable solutions, seeing sustainability as a matter of optimization in the use of available resources along the entire product lifecycle. This research aims to propose a dedicated Environmental Assessment Framework, using LCA methodology allowing designers to make environmental sustainability as an achievable and measurable requirement for developing new products. The case study presented is adapting the Life Cycle Assessment framework in the household refrigerator sector, of comparison between conventional gas-compression refrigeration and magnetic cooling system. The critical point of magnetic refrigerator is the presence of rare earths, and for this reasons a Life Cycle Assessment toll is needed to investigate the whole lifecycle
Il sistema produttivo verso la Green Growth
No full textLa Commissione Europea ha individuato nella Resource Efficiency uno degli elementi chiave dell’agenda politica europea, e le ha dedicato una specifica iniziativa – Flagship initiative for a resource efficient Europe – che interessa in maniera trasversale più aree.
Il contributo definisce e traccia le tendenze relative alla resource efficiency nel sistema industriale europeo, nelle strategie di management delle imprese e nell’ottica del green e smart manufacturing
Training Advanced Skills for Sustainable Manufacturing: A Digital Serious Game
Full text linkWith the rapid development of manufacturing towards the vision of Industry 4.0, considerable efforts should be done in order to improve the manufacturing skills of young generations and to prepare them to the challenges of the new industrial world. For this reason, the paper first analyzes the learning requirements for the education and training about advanced manufacturing topics and the most suitable educational approaches to satisfy them, identifying digital game-based learning (DGBL) as one of the most promising. On this basis, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Game, a digital game (DG) aiming at supporting the comprehension of LCA for sustainable manufacturing, is presented. Thanks to its high scalability and focus on the practical implications of the use of LCA in an industrial context, the suitability of LCA Game for both universities and companies is shown. Finally, the potentialities of digital game-based learning applications for manufacturing are discussed
Additive Manufacturing as an opportunity for supporting sustainability through the implementation of circular economies
Full text linkAs changes are automatic while progress is not, technology improvements in manufacture need to find their room within market requirements. Among the challenges manufacturers have to face with, there is the need to approach a multifaceted context. Additive Manufacturing is considered one of the most effective technology with the potential to give proper industry-side responses to markets, fulfilling a long-term sustainable perspective. Layered fabrication may lead to structural changes both in economics and societies and may fill the missing tie to foster the spread of circular systems towards the realization of effective circular economies. There is a widespread interest for manufacturing to shift from linear to circular systems, where biological and technical saves are possible. This paper thus aims to frame Additive Manufacturing, one of the most game-changing technology of nowadays societies, into the need and characteristics of Circular Economy concept, one of the most challenging change in human progress
Lean Innovative Connected Vessels (LINCOLN)
Full text linkThe European vessel industry is traditionally leader in the sector. In the last decades, to stay competitive worldwide, it has repositioned on the high-end market, characterized by specialized design and production with high complexity and technological content. This implies new challenges in complex product creation with reduced costs, fast design and optimal production time. This is more valid for SMEs and for emerging maritime sectors, where traditional vessels can’t comply with their requirements. A comprehensive approach starting from early vessels design stages can help to overcome those issues. In this paper is proposed an integrated solution based on lean design methodology, IoT (Internet of Things) tools, HPC (High Performance Computing) simulation and sustainability methods, such as LCA (Life cycle Cost Analysis) and LCC (Life Cycle Cost). This is validated towards three specific industrial cases, related to small and medium vessels and mainly coastal activities. The adoption of this approach along the maritime value chain can also foster the introduction of new business models
Environmental and Economic Evaluation of End-of-Life Alternatives for Automotive Engine
No full textThe aim of this research is to develop a business decision support system to evaluate environmental and economic implications for different end of life alternatives strategies. The case study described in the paper is the evaluation of end of life automotive engine. In detail, the analysis consists of the evaluation of environmental impacts and economic costs of engine remanufacturing process. In particular, will be compared three different alternatives: remanufacturing, reuse and recycling (material recovery). In fact, recycling is a common practice, increased in the last years, because generates an environmental and economic benefit, saving raw materials and selling the recycled materials. It is possible anyway to increase end-of-life benefits avoiding, from a life cycle perspective, the manufacturing process of new products trough refurbishing or reuse, preventing at the same time certain generation of waste. Results will be shown in a bi-dimensional graph displaying the three alternatives with their economic revenue and environmental gain
Industry 4.0 as an enabler of societal well-being : an exploratory study on the role of Industry 4.0 enabling technologies
No full textLAUREA MAGISTRALEScopo, originalità e valore – Questa tesi mira a rispondere ad una lacuna presente in letteratura: uno studio dettagliato sul ruolo dell’Industria 4.0 come promotrice di benessere sociale. L’obiettivo è contribuire a rendere più “attraente” il mondo manifatturiero, coltivandone una percezione positiva attraverso evidenze che dimostrino i benefici che le tecnologie abilitanti dell’Industria 4.0 sono in grado di apportare alla società.
Design, metodologia ed approccio – Al fine di condurre questo studio esplorativo, è stata svolta una ricerca bibliografica in varie fasi, focalizzata su: Societal ‘Grand’ Challenges, Industry 4.0, Industry 4.0 Enabling Technologies e relative interconnessioni. Successivamente, è stato sviluppato un modello di ricerca, validato dalla letteratura e dai casi studio, in grado di valutare quanto ogni tecnologia abilitante contribuisca alla creazione di benessere sociale.
Risultati – L’output di questa tesi comprende: l’identificazione di sei sfide manifatturiere ‘4.0’, la definizione di set di variabili esplicative del modo in cui le tecnologie abilitanti affrontano tali sfide e una classifica generale delle suddette tecnologie in relazione alla loro abilità di risposta a ciascuna sfida, tramite l’applicazione del modello sviluppato dalle autrici, basato su un metodo decisionale multicriterio, l’AHP.
Implicazioni pratiche – Questa ricerca mira ad assolvere una funzione di supporto per gli stakeholder manifatturieri nel trarre vantaggi dall’Industria 4.0 implementando quelle tecnologie abilitanti più in linea con le missioni aziendali che essi puntano a raggiungere. Questo studio, inoltre, può essere di sostegno ai policy-maker per incentivare l’adozione di piani che promuovano l’Industria 4.0.
Ricerche future – Essendo l’ambiente esterno in cui le aziende manifatturiere operano in continuo cambiamento e data l’estrema rapidità dell’innovazione tecnologica, future ricerche dovrebbero riesaminare periodicamente: le sfide sociali che, calate nel mondo manifatturiero, possono essere risolte implementando le tecnologie abilitanti, le manovre da adottare con l’obiettivo di rispondere alle suddette sfide e gli impatti delle tecnologie su di esse.Purpose, originality and value – This dissertation aims at fulfilling a critical gap present in literature: a deep investigation on the function of Industry 4.0 as an enabler of societal well-being. The final goal is to make the manufacturing industry appealing by cultivating a positive perception of it, through evidences showing in depth which benefits Industry 4.0 enabling technologies can bring broadly, to the overall society.
Design, methodology and approach – To conduct this exploratory study, a multi-step literature research was carried out to investigate: Societal ‘Grand’ Challenges, Industry 4.0, Industry 4.0 Enabling Technologies and interconnections among them. This led to the development of a research framework, a model, validated through the literature and multiple case studies, able to assess the impact of the different Industry 4.0 enabling technologies in the creation of societal well-being.
Findings – The threefold outputs of this dissertation are: the identification of six manufacturing challenges ‘4.0’, the definition of sets of variables describing how Industry 4.0 enabling technologies can solve each challenge and the ranking of these technologies according to their ability in addressing each manufacturing challenge by applying the authors’ model, based on the AHP multicriteria decision-making method.
Practical implications – This research enables manufacturing stakeholders to effectively exploit the benefits coming from Industry 4.0, by providing them a tool that allows to prioritize the implementation of Industry 4.0 enabling technologies according to the opportunities that they want to take. From a wider perspective, it can be useful to policy-makers to encourage the adoption of plans promoting Industry 4.0.
Future research – Being the external environment in which manufacturing firms operate continuously changing and being the pace of technological innovations very high, future researches are required to periodically review those societal challenges, that, deployed into the manufacturing industry, can be addressed by Industry 4.0 enabling technologies, the manoeuvres to tackle them and the impacts of the technologies on them
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