Sustainability Benefits of Component Level Remanufacturing - ARTES series 2
More than 20% of a diesel car and 50% of battery EV total lifetime emissions are expected to come from the initial manufacture of those vehicles [1]. As greener sources of energy reduce the journey related emissions, we need to look at other methods of cutting the environmental impact of vehicles that are already in use. Extending vehicle lifetime through repair or remanufacturing spreads the impact of the manufacturing emissions over a longer time, and in turn reduces our reliance on new raw materials for replacement components.
Components do not always fail catastrophically; more commonly, parts seize, or wear causes degraded performance, leading to the need for replacement. The main body of a component generally remains intact, with only small areas of damage or wear causing a problem. This is the case in aerospace, where pitting or deformation of compressor blades curtails efficiency, and in the automotive industry where worn turbocharger bearings reduce engine power and efficiency.
Through remanufacturing, these small damaged or worn areas can be rectified without throwing away the whole part. Subassembly components that would normally have been recycled in hot, energy intensive processes can enter service again. Research suggests that the UK’s industrial emissions footprint could be reduced by almost a third by increasing the service life of manufactured goods [3]. Scintam’s technology is aimed specifically at these applications, and successful case studies have been performed in aerospace, automotive and rail remanufacturing. We can provide solutions that have excellent utility for companies aiming to improve their sustainability, whilst also reducing ownership cost by increasing service life and lowering replacement part costs.
Whole subassemblies of components are often scrapped because the rivets, pins and screws which hold them together cannot be removed due to corrosion. With the global cost of corrosion being estimated as equivalent to 3.4% of global GDP ($2.5 trillion USD [2]), this often-neglected issue is one which should not be ignored. When critical components require replacement, if the fasteners holding them in place are seized then the remanufacturing is generally considered impossible, or too time consuming to be worthwhile. Scintam’s FastEDR technology can be used to quickly remove these seized fasteners, allowing component level servicing and remanufacturing.
With the knowledge and techniques Scintam has developed to rapidly remove corroded and seized fasteners for remanufacturing, we can unlock extended component lifetimes, thereby reducing the total environmental impact of systems across a range of sectors. This is a simple and cost-effective solution for companies wishing to explore alternatives to the ‘scrap and replace’ methods in use today.
By reimagining cutting edge manufacturing technologies Scintam is creating disruptive repair technologies that can be used cost-effectively across industry sectors. We predict that in the remanufacture of automotive components alone, our technology could save up to 4,230 tonnes of waste materials and 197,000 tons-CO2e by 2028.
[1]https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1062603/lifecycle-analysis-of-UK-road-vehicles.pdf
[2]http://impact.nace.org/documents/Nace-International-Report.pdf
[3] https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/1810/334727/m-m-report-online-final.pdf?sequence=7&isAllowed=y
