The embodied energy of coated tungsten carbide inserts considering post-sintering processes

Accurate energy-flow assessment is a prerequisite for reducing manufacturing’s environmental footprint. Machining ranks among the most widespread manufacturing operations. However, current embodied-energy analysis of tungsten carbide inserts, the predominant cutting-tool material, disregard post-sintering grinding, edge finishing, and coating processes that contribute substantially to total energy demand. Here, the first quantitative evaluation to include these operations is presented. Energy consumption and material flow during flank-face grinding and cutting-edge preparation were measured on eight commercial inserts and combined with published coating-deposition data. Results show that full-process embodied energy can be almost 120% higher than values reported up to the sintering stage. Analysis of processing variables indicates that grinding duration and spindle power are the primary determinants of embodied energy, whereas variations in cutting force, wheel wear, and cutting-edge preparation contribute negligibly. These findings underscore the necessity of incorporating post-sintering steps into tungsten carbide embodied energy analysis, enabling precise energy-flow accounting and guiding strategies to reduce the environmental footprint of tooling in machining.