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Is the wise consumption of limited resources ready for sustainable and autonomous growth?
Natural Resources are Finite
All of us knew it, but we never expected that their supply will be limited suddenly before they dwindle. In such a problematic world, we learned that there may be anthropogenic disruption of the supply for political reasons.
What should we do in such circumstances? Reducing their consumption is always the answer to the universal proposition.
We used to spend the resources as if they were water, could get them like turning a faucet, but now we know that someone may shut down the pipe. Or the water is becoming an article of value, or diplomacy, in other words. In our industrialized society, materials are lifelines of finished goods. We can’t stop consuming materials as long as we live.
Reducing the Waste of Material is the Answer for Continuous Growth
The word “sustainability” is getting focused on the people with a global scale of views, who care about this planet. Emissions from industries are affecting the globe and some ex-resource-rich countries are experiencing a dwindling of their treasure.
A Science Fiction film shows an emigration story to the other planet as a solution, but we have to live on this planet in reality. What we should do for sustainability is make the best possible use of the material as long as we can.
Imagine if you can get a product from a less amount of material than it used to consume. It’s not a challenge for risks, but a change of your mind. We can reduce the waste of materials by adding a process that maximizes the efficiency of material utilization.
Near-Net-Shape Parts Are Key for Production of the Finished Goods
Here is a typical example. A 2 kg wheel with its shaft is fully machined from a 20 kg of ingot(=10%). The same product is machined from an 8 kg forged part which is made from 8.5 kg of material (=23.5%). The efficiency will be remarkable as the shape of the finished part got rise and falls.
In addition, the forged part doesn’t risk its reliability since forging is not only a method of transformation but is also a method of consolidation (metal grain flow is aligned by the forging) so both efficiency and reliability are able to stand by side.
Stop wasting swarf just like stop draining precious water. (Needless to say, the swarf can be recycled just like reusing the water, but both require ingredients and energy.)
You may be saving the world by changing your mind.
王若谷