Professor I.S. Jawahir

University of Kentucky, USA

Product Circularity Principles for Advancing Sustainable Manufacturing

Abstract:

During the last three decades, Circular Economy (CE) concepts and principles have emerged as a promising new opportunity for implementing and advancing Sustainable Manufacturing (SM). SM enables multiple closed-loop material and information flows with 6Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover, Redesign and Remanufacture). The 6Rs serve as the technological elements of CE with total Life cycle (TLC) considerations for products covering all four life cycle stages (Pre-manufacturing, Manufacturing, Use and Post-use). Effective implementation of CE concepts and principles continues to serve as the basis for sustainability transformation in manufacturing for greater economic, environmental and societal benefits. Designing and manufacturing circular products with 6Rs have thus become essential for advancing SM with digitally integrated systems connecting products, processes, and systems across the entire value chain.

This presentation will focus on circular product design principles driven by the CE targets in manufacturing. Current SM practices will be summarized with an emphasis on achieving product circularity as the first necessary step towards process and system innovation for advancing SM. Product circularity will be presented as a quantifiable activity involving a metrics-based evaluation method. Recent progress in product circularity studies and development of standards and industry practice guidelines will also be presented.

I.S. Jawahir

Biography:

Dr. I.S. Jawahir is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering, James F. Hardymon Chair in Manufacturing Systems, and Founding Director of Institute for Sustainable Manufacturing (ISM) at the University of Kentucky. His current research focuses on predictive modeling and optimization of sustainable manufacturing processes and product design for circularity.

He has published extensively with over 450 research publications, including 170+ journal papers; awarded with 5 U.S. patents; and delivered 82 keynote/plenary presentations in major international conferences and over 160 invited presentations in 40 countries. He has received significant research funding (over $70M) from US federal agencies and from numerous industry groups. He has also directed/supervised the research of 26 postdoctoral researchers, 45 PhD graduates and over 70 MS (thesis) graduates.

He is a Fellow of CIRP (International Academy for Production Engineering), ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) and SME (Society of Manufacturing Engineers); Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Sustainable Manufacturing; and Technical Editor of Journal of Machining Science and Technology. In 2005, he established the ASME's Research Committee on Sustainable Products and Processes and served as the Founding Chairman for six years (2005-11). He has been active in international collaborative research through CIRP since 1990. He led five CIRP research groups: Chip control in machining (1990-93); Modeling of machining operations (1995-2001); Surface integrity in manufacturing processes (2007-11); Cryogenic manufacturing processes (2012-16); and Integrated Machining Performance for the Assessment of Cutting Tools (IMPACT) (2021-24). He founded the CIRP Conference Series on Modeling of Machining Operations in 1998; co-founded the CIRP Conference Series on Surface Integrity in 2012; and continues to play a major role in the Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing (GCSM) series since its founding in 2004. During the last three decades, Professor Jawahir has also established active international collaboration with 28 universities from 20 countries.

Professor Jawahir received numerous awards and honors, including the 2013 ASME Milton C. Shaw Manufacturing Research Medal, 2015 William Johnson International Gold Medal, 2022 SME Frederick W. Taylor Research Medal and the 2023 ASME Kos Ishii - Toshiba Award.



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