If there is one technology that is the cornerstone of developing more sustainable products, it’s Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). For all the talk about whole systems design, carbon footprint, embodied water and energy, the simple fact is that when distilled down, everything points to materials selection. This is something that Autodesk has picked up on with its sustainability efforts over the last couple of years.
Those familiar with Autodesk’s Labs (labs.autodesk.com) may know Project Krypton, a tool that gave users feedback about the environmental impact of his or her current design, amongst other things.
Autodesk has now continued its focus on CAD-integrated sustainability tools and developed a brand new product called Eco Materials Adviser, which is part of the Inventor 2012 product offering. This has been made possible because Autodesk formed a partnership with one of the leading organisations dealing with materials data and selection, Granta Design.
Its roots lie with Mike Ashby and David Cebon, authors of the Ashby/Cebon method of computer-aided materials selection, which is taught in almost every design or engineering course across the globe.
Final design of hand drill in Autodesk Inventor featuring a silicone rubber grip instead of natural rubber, which uses a large amount of water in its manufacture
Over the last 30 years, Granta has built on its academic foundations and has grown into a global leader in materials intelligence. It provides both raw data and a set of tools that assist the intelligent selection and management of materials and manufacturing information.