ABSTRACT
The term “sustainable” itself has a very broad perspective, even in terms of manufacturing processes. Sustainability can be linked to a number of parameters for any manufacturing process. Advancements in manufacturing and materials processing technologies have made conventional processes of manufacturing and materials processing obsolete in many aspects. However, the focus is still on reducing the overall manufacturing cost by targeting specific parameters in terms of lower consumption of energy, lower processing time, better-quality product, lowering rejection rates, better scheduling, adopting lean manufacturing, and so on. These parameters can all be linked to sustainability of any manufacturing process. This chapter focuses on the need for sustainable developments in materials processing and the manufacturing sector. If sustainability is missing from the overall process, the process will be soon become outdated and obsolete. Researchers are continuously working in this area and trying to fix problems with innovative approaches. The techniques of hybridization of various processes are an example justifying the requirement of sustainable methods for manufacturing where the developed hybrid process offers enhanced output in comparison to conventional methods. The various inputs and outputs are the parameters that can be directly linked to the sustainability of any process. Initially, the sustainability of any process was discussed on the basis of the efficiency of the process, but it is now a well-known fact that sustainability can be divided into further multi-level objectives, which in turn drives the overall sustainability of a process. This chapter will highlight such sustainable requirements that are now an integral part of various manufacturing processes and materials processing technologies. A simple general model is proposed for measuring the sustainability index of any manufacturing process based on general parameters that are user defined.
