Modeling alloy and energy utilization in high volume die casting

Die casting is a widely used high-technology manufacturing process which is both capital and energy intensive. While there are several economic and environmental advantages to die casting, the high energy consumption required to cast products warrants attention. Operational and design decisions within a die casting process can have a significant impact on the total energy use and equivalent carbon dioxide emissions. An absorbing-state Markov chain model of the die casting process represents the possible flows of material and measures the resource consumption of the most energy-intensive steps. The model supports decision-makers considering possible design, investment, and operational decisions, such as the purchase of new equipment. Data elements necessary to implement the model are specified, as are the necessary reference data for analyzing the emissions related to energy consumption. The use of the model is illustrated with a historical case study from a specific product design decision. Prescriptive uses of the model based on this case study are also analyzed, although the model supports a variety of analyses.