A Method for Green Process Planning in Electric Discharge Machining

In today’s industry, many manufacturing processes have been systematically and scientifically analysed with the aim of achieving maximum efficiency combined with economic manufacturing conditions. The usual practice of manufacturers was to focus on a single factor in decision-making, such as production and cost. Recently, green manufacturing has been playing an important role in reducing the waste produced from industrial activities. This is due to a growing awareness of the need for a balanced approach to industry objectives using environmentally friendly process planning. This paper presents a methodology for the multi-objective analysis of the electric discharge machining (EDM) processes. A utility function was employed to determine the utility levels of various dielectrics by integrating the factors involving time, energy, quality and weighted mass. Using the utility function, the process or material with the highest rating represents the condition with the best match of all the key factors. It will therefore give a more balanced result, leading to savings in resources, which helps in protecting the environment.