Scholarly record
LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF CNC MACHINING STRATEGIES: ENVIRONMENTAL EVALUATION OF 3-AXIS AND 5-AXIS MILLING OF AN UPRIGHT COMPONENT
Abstract
This study evaluates the environmental performance of two CNC machining strategies-three-axis and five-axis milling-used in the production of an aluminum wheel upright for a Formula Student vehicle. A process-based gate-to-gate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was carried out using Sphera GaBi software and the Ecoinvent 3.9.1 database, focusing exclusively on impacts associated with the manufacturing technologies. The analysis included detailed measurements of electricity consumption, machine time, machining operation sequences, and the inclusion of water-jet pre-cutting in the five-axis variant. Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) models were created for both manufacturing strategies, and environmental impacts were assessed using the ReCiPe 2016 (midpoint) method for the climate change category. The study identifies key environmental hotspots within the manufacturing processes and compares the energy efficiency and emission intensity of both strategies. The results show that although five-axis machining shortens total machine time, its significantly higher power demand leads to a substantially higher carbon footprint compared to the three-axis strategy. The findings provide a basis for process optimization, strategic decision-making regarding technology selection, and support for sustainable manufacturing, thereby contributing to the achievement of SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
Publication Impact Profile
Publication details
References7
GUTOWSKI, Timothy; DAHMUS, Jeffrey; THIRIEZ, Alex. Electrical Energy Requirements for Manufacturing Processes. In: 13th CIRP International Conference on Life Cycle Engineering (LCE 2006), Leuven, Belgium, 31 May�2 June 2006. [online]. [cited 13 Nov 2025].
DIAZ, Nancy; REDELSHEIMER, Elena; DORNFELD, David. Energy Consumption Characterization and Reduction Strategies for Milling Machine Tool Use. In: HESSELBACH, J.; HERRMANN, C. (eds.). Glocalized Solutions for Sustainability in Manufacturing: Proceedings of the 18th CIRP International Conference on Life Cycle Engineering, TU Braunschweig, 2�4 May 2011. Berlin; Heidelberg: Springer, 2011, pp. 263�267. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-19692-8_46. [online]. [cited 13 Nov 2025].
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR STANDARDIZATION. ISO 14040:2006 Environmental management � Life cycle assessment � Principles and framework. Geneva: ISO, 2006. [online]. [cited 13 Nov 2025].
ANDREASI BASSI, Susanna; BIGANZOLI, Fabrizio; FERRARA, Nicola; et al. Updated characterisation and normalisation factors for the Environmental Footprint 3.1 method. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2023. (JRC Technical Report, JRC130796). ISBN 978-92-76-99069-7. [online]. [cited 13 Nov 2025].
SPHERA SOLUTIONS. LCA for Experts (GaBi). [online]. 2025. [cited 13 Nov 2025].
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR STANDARDIZATION. ISO 14955-2:2018 Machine tools � Environmental evaluation of machine tools � Part 2: Methods for measuring energy supplied to machine tools and machine tool components. Geneva: ISO, 2018. [online]. [cited 13 Nov 2025].
ZEBALA, Wojciech; PLAZA, Malgorzata. Comparative study of 3- and 5-axis CNC centres for free-form machining of difficult-to-cut material. International Journal of Production Economics. 2014, 158, pp. 345�358. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2014.08.006. [online]. [cited 13 Nov 2025].
View or Download full articleAccess options
SWS access login
Login as SWS Scientific CommitteeLogin as SWS Scientific PartnerLogin as SWS AuthorAuthors and approved SWS contributors will read and export their own linked papers after identity matching by SWS profile, email and SGEM GlobalID.
For librarian assistance: [email protected]
Purchase Instant Access
- Article can be downloaded after successful payment.
- Article may be used according to SWS library access terms.
- Article cannot be redistributed.