P. Suresh , S. Ramabalan and U. Natarajan
Abstract
Any manufacturing organization has ambitions of perpetuity, to continue its existence over long periods, to sustain itself. This, together with growth plans, is a natural phenomenon. Sustainability concepts naturally play a pivotal role in the twin ambition of manufacturing organizations. This paper deals with the sustainability of a product through identification of changes in material and manufacturing process. Periodical evaluation of sustainability methods is a sin qua non for any organization. This was done by using a sustainability module in Solidworks CAD software. Four important sources viz., total energy consumed, air acidifications, water eutrophication, carbon footprint in conjunction with the material financial impact for cost effectiveness were considered for the purpose. The crank shaft of a four cycle engine was taken for an example. A case study on the point demonstrates the superiority of the method involving changes in the materials and manufacturing process-the former minimizes environmental impact and a material finance impact while the latter has minimal effect on environment alone.