Development of a New Micro-machining Technique and its Eco-efficiency Evaluation

摘要

Approximately 10 years ago, a team at National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) that included the present authors, proposed the concept of a micro-manufacturing system, referred to as the microfactory, and demonstrated the micro-mechanical fabrication ability of the microfactory. Such micro-manufacturing systems are though to be capable of providing eco-efficient diverse-type, small-quantity production, if the system configuration is designed properly. However, the eco-efficiency of such micro-manufacturing systems has not been examined quantitatively. A number of studies have been carried out to clarify the eco-efficiency of micro-manufacturing systems using the total performance indicator (TPI), which is a newly proposed eco-efficiency index. In the present paper, we describe the progression from microfactory development and to eco-efficiency evaluation. In addition, we introduce a new micro-machining technique and evaluate its eco-efficiency compared with those of conventional methods. Based on the results of these evaluations, micro-manufacturing systems are demonstrated to provide an eco-efficient option for micro-machining.