AML is extremely proud to be mid -way through the exciting SCORE project which began in September 2023, a game-changing initiative in the field of Manufacturing Sustainability and Innovation. Thanks to the Eureka/Eurostars program, a key element of the European Commission’s Horizon Europe policy, this project supports an exciting international collaboration, bringing together three countries.
AML is representing the United Kingdom, bringing our cutting-edge manufacturing expertise to the team and end-user platform for testing SCORE innovations.
Greece is represented by the International Hellenic University, an academic institution bringing expertise in manufacturing science.
France is represented by the Université de Tours, bringing its scientific expertise on material forming process characterizations and on physical phenomena understanding through numerical simulations and models.
And not to mention Advanced Assisted Manufacturing Solutions who is at the heart of this exciting adventure leading the Consortium.
SCORE’S AIMS
At the onset SCORE had bold ambitions for transforming Manufacturing and planned to achieve the following –
- Reduce carbon emissions
- Minimise energy consumption
- Rethink cutting tools and lubrication techniques
- Promote chip recyclability
- Achieve overall savings of 20%
The purpose of the project was to capture, assess, and reduce carbon emissions associated with the machining process, with the main areas of carbon emission within the machining process being:
- Electricity usage
- Waste material
- Compressed air consumption (electricity usage)
- Oil usage (for cooling and lubrication)
The effect of each of these factors will differ for different parts and materials.
The project aims to develop a consultancy offering to identify the areas contributing the most carbon emissions within a specific process, and provide alternative solutions to help reduce this (may include different recycling techniques, different machining strategies, different lubrication techniques, etc.)
SCORE’S ACHIEVEMENTS
Now mid-way through the project the results are already impressive – so far, the team has
- Developed a method for capturing energy consumption during machining
- Identified areas of the machining process that cause energy consumption to rise
- Developed an emissions calculator that we have started turning into an app, which will be used to capture data relating to the machining process and associated emissions
- Conducted a study into different waste material recycling techniques
- Conducted studies on milling techniques and the effects these have on power consumption
- Conducted a study into different cooling techniques and associated emissions
- Performed an analysis of machining chip geometry and compared this to energy consumption
- Successfully extracted CNC program code lines alongside power consumption to identify which lines resulted in the most energy consumption.
SCORE’S FUTURE PLANS
The consortium has ambitious plans for the next 18 months, to include:
- Finalise and launch the data collection app and dashboarding tool
- Model the effects of different lubrication techniques
- Conduct lab tests on waste material and release a recycling calculator
- Define a strategy to reduce energy consumption through modified machining strategies
- Consolidate all findings into a single offering that can be released for sale as part of the consultancy offering.
Alex Cotton, R&D Manager at AML comments “The team at AML is extremely proud to be part of this ambitious international project focused on sustainability and innovation. Working alongside the dedicated partners in the consortium is truly inspiring. Together, we’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in advanced manufacturing, so very exciting times ahead!”
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