Cycle Assessment of Die Cast Model Car Life

Question: Conduct a Qualitative life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a Product with the view of promoting a general understanding of the Environmental Impact of the product from Manufacture through use and Disposal. Answer: Introduction Manufacturing normally focus on the cost and the products quality leaving behind the environmental issue which is regarded as the last option to comply to the regulation of the environment. The environmental performance of the die-cast car model is investigated by the implementation of a life circle assessment. The concern of the environment about the product is becoming a driving force in the activities of the business. One of the major roles LCA is to collect the inventory data of the life circle for a four ground system so as to introduce thinking of the stage of the design product with the scoring system of the environment that are based on the computer. LCA also identify the key parts in the life circle of the product for the improvement of the products performance environmentally.(Ann, 2015, p. 152) To develop the products that are friendly to be the environment, Life Cycle assessment should be implemented first. The product designer can get the guidance from the study of the Life Cycle Assessments output which improves the products performance environmentally so as to help the decision maker in making a long and short term goals. This essay is a review of the LCA task of a die cast model car. Die-casting is a process that produces a metal part that is complex through the usage of reusable moulds. It involves the use of metals, a die and a die-casting machine. In both machines, after the dice are injected, it cools and then solidifies into the final product. It typically makes use of the alloys that are non-ferrous, like in this project we are to use Aluminum alloy which has relatively high dimension stability, easy to cast, density is low and also its ability to resist its corrosion. (B, 2002, p. 96) The main scope of this study is to come up with the life circle assessment of a die-cast model car that will improve its environmental performance. At the time of LCA, the goals of the learning unravels that one has to assemble life cycle inventory data used in die-cast model cars. The qualitative life cycle assessment of a die-cast model car should be conducted, keeping in view the environmental impact of the product from the process of manufacturing and usage. The ensemble outcome from the study is a prelude to the environmental sustainability of the die-cast model cars. (BUWAL, 2001, p. 251) Product and Functional Unit A die-cast model car is produced by using the die-casting method. The car is comprised of plastic, rubber and elaborates glass work by following the process of injection molding. The metals used are aluminum and poly (methyl methacrylate). The functional unit of a die-cast model car can be described as new 1:18 level die-cast car model of Porche Cayman GT4 Racing Yellow die cast car. It entails completely new features and comprises rubber tires. The model die-cast car contains steer-enabled wheels. The model car is made of die-casting, along with some plastic materials. The life span of a die-cast car model can be more than three years of functionality and the components for service can be kept in the company for the whole of that functionality period of the die-cast car model. (2015, p. 190) Table 1: Material and components involved in the manufg oacturing of die-cast model car Component Melting point Atomic mass Aluminum 660 degree Celsius 26.981539 u + 8*10^7 u Poly (methyl methacrylate) 160 degree Celsius Fluctuates System boundary and Data Collection The model of Porche Cayman GT4 Racing Yellow die cast car contains all materials that are maintained in the inventory analysis. Due to certain precarious issues, the data deficiencies are left. Despite data dearth, the process data that is similar to the authentic process is utilized with ease.(Koop, 2002, p. 147) The collection of data process consumes time and also tiring. The cycle of the life process is grouped as foreground and background system that reinforces the mechanism of statistics collection in the study. In order to start the background system, we have utilized secondary data, without assembling data from the existing sites. For instance, commercial data indices are kept under the category of production of raw material mechanism and process of energy. In the process of foreground, we have assembled resources from the particular sites used in every process of the experiment. At the same time, we have concluded the process by deliberating on the questionnaire survey.(H, 2011, p. 86) The extraction of raw resources, the production of experiment staffs and the building of energy are conclusively categorized as the background system, in as much the builders of these products are categorized as homogenous unit. The system of gathering data from the primary sites used within the ambit of the company is known as foreground method of data collection. The waste management process falls under the category of the foreground method.(G, 2003, p. 160) This table shows the foreground ad background and their properties mechanism and properties Life cycle phase Mechanism Properties Extraction of raw materials Background Secondary data Production of energy Background Secondary data Production of material Background Secondary data Production of components Foreground Site-based data Process of gathering a die-cast model car Foreground Site-based data Usage Foreground Assumption Management of waste Foreground Secondary data Scenario and Allocation The burdens of environment in most cases are waste generation and releasing of the emission, which are needed to be allocated to the die-cast car model. The products quantity and its physical properties are chosen to be used as the factors of allocation for the environmental burden depending on the characteristics of the processes. The process in which the products quantity is taken as the factor of allocation is a procedure that the die-cast car model produces burdens of the environment. For a process like management of waste, the allocation done is grouped on the cause effect analysis. After the deliverance of die-cast car model, the materials that have been used for packaging are returned by the retailers or they can be disposed by the consumers. For the materials packaging, the polystyrene is recycled, but packaging materials that are small like Aluminum and Polyethylene bags are buried under the ground and incinerated respectively,(Johnson, 2001, p. 180) Inventory Analysis When the data are collected from the supplier, the emissions, melting point and the balance of mass in the model are then checked by the practitioner of Life Cycle Assessment and an expert within the company. When a data is strange or missing, then the questioner containing statistics is returned to the supplier to verify and find the data missing data. When the supplier lack adequate data then the Life Cycle Assessment practitioner treats the data missing based on the materials composition. The emission from battery cell which is the source of power for the model is calculated based on power grid from Korea. (Ekologik, 2006, p. 142) The calculations of the inventory are done by Life Cycle Assessment commercial software. The impact categories of the die-cast motor car that are used in this study are: Toxicity of the ecology, toxicity of human, global warming, eutrophication, acidification, abiotic resource depletion, formation of photochemical oxidant, depletion of the ozone layer. In these impact categories, their weighing and normalization are done to enable communication with the people who designed the model and the company. The factor of weighing for the impact categories are gotten from the internal or external expects selected from different parties after a survey. Fig. Abiotic resource consumption in life circle of die-cast model car. Fig 2. Environmental emission in life cycle of a die-cast model car Many parameters of the environment are present in the inventory analysis and only are present to represent the other parameters because it is not impossible to show many parameters of the environment. The phase of production largely contributes to the use of Aluminum and Methyl methacrylate because of the being the main material used in die-cast car model. It is not easy to find out the hot spot in the die-cast car model life circle and even the designers of the model find it difficult in understanding the inventory analysis results. But the outcomes of the inventory should be taken serious because it is important in making the in-house database.(Mcgimsey, 2000, p. 185) Impact Analysis Fig3. 8 impacts categories for the dye-cast car model Some resources like water and biotic are not included in the assessment impact because as for the biotic resource they are known as a fund and not a deposit and water is a flow. The abiotic resource calculation of the depletion is made from a method known as reserve base that is majorly concerned with the concentration of the crust of the earth. The production phase is the major contributor to the abiotic resource depletion. Aluminum is the burden of the environment in the abiotic resource depletion in the manufacture of die-cast model car. The impacts of global warming include the gasses effect that is direct with the time of 95 years. Carbon (IV) oxide is the main burden if the environment, that is released from the consumption of the energy. The global warming is contributed by the operating mode by over 50% , the main contributor of the global warming happens during plastic assembly process in which the majority of the greenhouse gases re released into the atmosphere. Hydrocarbon is contributing to the burden in the environment through photochemical formation oxidant. Acidification is caused by SOx, which is very serious environmental burden while eutrophication is also caused by another burden to the environment called NOx . These two environmental burdens are also related to energy negatively. During operating mode, it is when acidification and eutrophication is contributed largely into the atmosphere. (2015, p. 201) The main contributor to both ecological and human toxicity is SOx . The operating mode is important to potential impact but not in the abiotic resource depletion, for any impact category, total solution is important for the product designer for the performance of the environment by making a priority between the hot spot in activities improvement hence the potential impact weights are put into consideration. Results of Weighting The fig. 4 below presents the ration of contribution for each process. It is based on the weighing results, the phases are divided into two: energy saving and operating mode. Energy saving mode contribute to a percentage of 10% and the contribution of operating mode is 60%. Since the two modes depends on the duration of time and also difference in the requirement of energy it is good to estimate the different patterns of scenarios sad their effect and the reliability of the results. The following were the scenarios that were considered. Fig.4 Way 1: Energy mode: 1hr per day and operating mode: 2hr per day Way2: Energy saving mode 1.5hr per day and operating mode 3hr per day Way 3: Energy saving mode 4hr per day and operating mode 2hr per day Way4: Energy saving mode 3hr per day and operating mode 3hr per day Way 5: Energy saving mode 3 hrs per day and operating mode is 7hr per day Way 6: Energy saving mode is 7 hrs per day and operating mode is 9hr per day Fig 5.The analyzed results o the sensitivity and the ways of pattern used Packaging box and material packaging contribute to all the performance of the environment of the die-cast model car for the reduction of the materials amount and improvement of the performance of the environment then a better design is recommended. The process of managing the waste benefits the environment because the material used in designing the die-cast car model can be reused and recycled. More work to collect the data specific which improves the performance of the environment of a die-cast car model at the stage of waste management is required. The injection of plastic which is done by the manufactures into the mold assists in creation of the light weight and lower cost die-cast car model.(Muthu, 2002, p. 104) The life cycle assessment sensitivity studies comes from the boundary of systems, sources of data, methods of allocation and methods of assessing the impacts. As for the system background, secondary data are used for sources of data while for the system fore-ground, there is collection of specific data. When comparing the sensitivity between different systems, it arises more in the background of the system as compared to fore-ground of the system; this is because of the varying emission factors. Improvement Analysis This analysis deals with the die-cast car model which is already in the market, the Life Cycle Assessment was done four people who took a period of around 10 months and four to six months for the study which after a new die-cast model car was then brought into the market. Usually many firms that specialized in designing the die-cast car model comes up with a new model that is competitive yearly. The time duration of new die-cast car model and old die-cast car model in the market is approximately one and half years. There is external use of the Life Cycle Assessment application for example; many firms may want to involve themselves in the external use of the assessment of the life cycle such as die-cast car model as A labeling of the environmental as 1 also. To expound on the effect of model A, labeling the environment on the market, the introduction of the product to the market should have labeling 1 at the beginning.(university, 2004, p. 163) There will be difficulty in the use of Life Cycle Assessment for models that come to the market for a very short duration of time due to the short frame of time. Designing die-cast model car can take a period of 5 to 10 months and the frame of time of the stage manufacturing is about 11 months before a new model is introduced. Manufacturing stage can be a little shorter when compared with the marketing stage but when major markets are put into consideration then the durations are almost the same. The character of the designed die-cast car model will define its duration and the stage use hence the most appropriate option for the time period to use the results of life assessment period is almost a year. The study on assessment of life cycle for die-cast car model may take five to ten months; there is less than five months available duration for communication of outcome of Life Cycle Assessment to the communal when the learning began on the position when the new die-cast car model appeared into the market. To increate the duration of communicating the outcome of life cycle assessment to third party, the model with short life in the market should have their life cycle assessment implemented in the stage of design or else there can be no space for external application use of life cycle assessment because it is an intensive time process.(2015, p. 154) Pre-excising methods are required in the beginning of the designing stage. The Life Cycle Assessment for this model is as follows: Development of life assessment cycle tool for a new die-cast car model group Collection of the data processes for assemblage of raw materials that are used in the die-cast car model group. Identification and collection of data of the product and its changes in specification during the design stage. Implementation of life assessment cycle on a new die-cast car model using the existing data that were made during the stage of manufacturing. In step one and two are the procedure followed before the implementation of life cycle assessment for the application which is external. These are the general steps for any new die-cast car model group: In step i, the methods of life cycle assessment for the die-cast model group like management of waste, rule allocation and usage of ways pattern are decided. The die-cast car model specific data are collected in step two. When step one and two are done, the duration for utilization in data collection and decision about methods of life cycle assessment are reduced. This is ready to be implemented as Life Cycle Assessment in the external parallel application of the die-cast model car design. The data and method that are made in step 1 and 2 can be used for long until the methods changes.(home, 2009, p. 142) Step 3 and 4 are specified steps for die-cast model car, in step 3, there is an identification of the differences between the old die-cast model car and the new die-cast model car. To know the components which are required in the collection of this specific data, designer of the die-cast model car and the practitioner of the Life Cycle Assessment are needed to make the decision. After the data available are screened, there is collection of new data components from the designer. The previously available components from the designer are collected easily and compared with the new once. According to the components that were unavailable before, the data collection is then done immediately after the designing of this components is completed. The die-cast car model designer and the practitioner of life circle assessment should closely operate together, the process is more important in the selection of the material and improvement of performance in the environment. The designer can measure the performance of the environment and provide another option when carrying out life cycle assessment of the die-cast model car in the design stage.(2016, p. 184) The environmental effects of plastics which are used as the part of the body of die-cast car model is also key root of environmental burden such eutrophiction, acidification and toxicity to the environment. The plastic parts of the model can be replaced by environmental friendly products like rubber. The Methyl methacrylate is a hydrocarbon compound which emits greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere and leads to global warming and depletion of the ozone layer. These gasses include CO, CO2, CH4 and CFCs. This compound can be replaced by a mixture of mould called ZAMAC, which is a compound of Zinc, Aluminum, Magnesium and Copper. Though ZAMAC is also hazardous to environment, but it can be applied because it is easy to control the pollution caused by these metals since the designers can decide to locate in one scarcely populated area and only soil is likely to be polluted.(BUWAL, 2001, p. 141) Glass that forms the components that make die-cast car model is also environmental unfriendly because it has a greenhouse effect by preventing the mixing of gasses. The components of glass can be replaced by rubber which is friendly to the environment and reduced the environmental burden through decomposing in the soil quickly. In the current toys, metals are minimized as much as possible, particularly Aluminum that is used together with Methyl methacrylate. The reduction of the metal is done by mixing die-cast and rubber. Conclusion The main reason for this project is to identify the hotspots throughout the die-cast car model for improvement of future. It is noted that the major phase contribution in the life cycle of a die-cast car model is the use phase. Energy saving mode also results to the total environmental performance of the of die-cast car model. The identified hotspots discussed above for a die-cast car model can be grouped into: packaging assembly and body assembly y the designers to improve option. These hotspots can be grouped into uncontrollable and controllable options. Controllable option is when a company can make improvements on its own or can influence the supplier directly to improve.(Vigon, 2000, p. 169) The designer can be asked by the company to reduce the impacts of the environment or burdens on specific environment or even explain the environmental upper limit burden so as to encourage the designers to performance of the environment and the die-cast car model hence the controllable option are grouped on economy relationship that is strong between the designers and the company. The controllable option is not always improved due to investment or technical void. The extraction of raw material associated with the environmental impact and the pattern use of are uncontrollable consumers. The connection between the manufacturers of the raw materials and the company is not strong hence the company cannot ask directly for the improvement of the performance of the environment for the die-cast car model or its designing.(2016, p. 110) The suppliers can be driven by the company since they are directly related to request for the raw materials manufacture to make improvement in the performance of the environment, this is difficult to achieve because direct suppliers are always smaller than the company that are processing the raw materials and have small chances of choosing their supplier of raw materials. In addition, the strategy for improvement for the label control option is separated into two groups depending in the investment cost and the duration period of the development. These strategies are: Long and short term strategies. The strategies that are short term are easily applicable and are of low investment cost. It is the selection of the supplier, reduction of requirement of raw materials, better packaging and design, and raw material replacement. This strategy is practiced in the design stage of the die-cast car model. The decisions on the strategy are grouped on the data process for the technology that is current in which the data is ready to be used therefore more data are required for the short term strategy. (2015, p. 114) References: Ann, M. (2015). Life Cycle student handbook. Newyork: Wiley. B, J. (2002). Hnadbook on life cycle assessment. 2001: Kluwer accademics pulishers. Boyd, S. B. (2001). Life cycle assessment of semi-conductors. London: Springer. BUWAL. (2006). Federal laboratories for material testing and resaerch. St Gallen: LERCHENFELDSTR. Ekologik, S. (2005). Lca it data base. Goteborg: CIT ecologic. Environmental life cycle assessment. (2015). Switzerland: CRC publisher. G, L. L. (2005). Nordic guidlines for life circle assessment. COPENHAGEN: Nordic counsil pf ministers. 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