CastelOmega, together with the collaboration of the LEITAT Technology Center, has completed the RME project. The project has been carried out with the support of the l’Agència de Residus de Catalunya, and is part of the grants for circular economy promotion projects.
The RME project was born with the aim of promoting the circular economy of large machinery, through the repair and conversion of electronic or hardware packages. Machine conversion operations have two key benefits for companies: the cost is reduced and an environmental benefit is obtained. The repairs make it possible to extend the useful life of the machines by reducing the amount of waste generated and saving the generation of greenhouse gas emissions related to the manufacture of new components.
Throughout the project, the repair of the machinery has been carried out following the following steps: identification of needs, disassembly, design of the new electronic system, construction of the new electronic control and assembly of the machine. An economic and environmental study of the project has also been carried out, in order to identify the benefits associated with the repair.
The project ends successfully with the following conclusions:
- Technical benefits: The project offers a series of significant technical benefits, such as improved performance, reliability and efficiency of the machining center. The electronics update will allow replacing obsolete components, improve the control and automation systems, and optimize the general operation of the machine. These changes contribute to prolong the useful life of the machining center and improve its operation in general.
- Environmental benefit: After applying the Life Cycle Analysis methodology, the environmental impact has been reduced in all the selected impact categories, fluctuating between 60 and 95% impact reduction and reaching an 84.4% reduction in the carbon footprint. Considering a repair of 8 machines annually, more than 45 tons of materials would be reduced that would otherwise have to be processed for end-of-life treatment.
- Tests and validations: It is essential to carry out comprehensive tests and validations after the installation of the new electronics. This will ensure the correct operation of the components and their integration with the machining center. In addition, these tests will provide useful information to adjust and optimize the systems.
