Mechanical engineering – why it’s good to go green
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Mechanical design today is heavily focused on environmental compliance or “green engineering” as it is popularly known.
To many engineers, environmental compliance is a necessary and additional task, brought on by EU regulations, which calls for creation of endless documentation related to compliance. The European REACH and RoHS directives have impacted markets around the world, from Korea to the US. However, there was a need for these initiatives to be introduced; before they arrived, intensive engineering was killing the planet. In many places, it still is.
The field of mechanical engineering (and PCB design, for that matter) does not immediately conjure up images of giant chimneys belching noxious smoke. However, just because the environmental impact can’t be easily seen, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. The lead content from an individual printed circuit board may be minimal, but added to all the other PCBs in landfill sites, it’s a serious hazard to environmental and public health. The same goes for plastics which are typically used for enclosures and cases, and contributes to global environmental contamination, at product end of life.
Environmental compliance management works hand-in-hand with green engineering practice. Engineers must ensure their products have economic viability in the marketplace, while minimizing their environmental impact, both in terms of the design itself and the way in which it is made and disposed of. The ethos of green engineering is, “the earlier the better,” when it comes to applying green initiatives in a cost-effective way; in the US, there is a strong initiative for cost-effective environmental compliance.
The principals of green engineering, as laid down by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) are as follows:
Use holistic engineering methods that embrace systems analysis and environmental compliance management tools
Ensure engineering, manufacturing and distribution processes have minimal impact on human health and surrounding ecosystems
Consider the entire product/design lifecycle when undertaking new engineering designs
Ensure all energy inputs and materials used to produce mechanical and PCB designs are as environmentally friendly as possible
Use engineering practices that keep depletion of natural resources to a minimum (for example, by using low-power FPGA designs in circuit boards)
Keep waste production to a minimum, and recycling to a maximum
Strive to develop and apply new engineering solutions which work in harmony with local cultures and geography
Apply “the three Is” – invent, improve, innovate – to create alternatives to technologies commonly in use
Call on stakeholders, communities and other third parties to help implement the above.
This outline was developed at a conference in Florida, in 2003, as guidance to engineers affected by the constraints of environmental compliance laws. The EPA Green Engineering Program expands on this. Covering chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering processes, it incorporates academic workshops and proprietary risk assessment tools. It is designed to help clarify legislation such as the EPA’s hazardous waste management regulations, which among other things covers mercury-containing equipment, batteries and bulbs.
Environmental compliance management today is a minefield, since individual states can modify the EPA rules and add additional regulations of their own. Added to this are the EU RoHS, WEEE and REACH rules; rules that have been adopted by governments across the world. Engineering companies can avoid the stress of complying with environmental legislation by turning to us at Enventure Technologies. Together with our team of expert environmental compliance consultants, we offer compliance solutions for companies of every size. |
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Author Resource:-
The Article is written by www.enventureonline.com providing Mechanical Design and Mechanical Engineering Services. Visit http://www.enventureonline.com for more information on www.enventureonline.com Products & Services
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By :
Tom Jui
Submitted
2011-06-09 04:01:19 |
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