New concepts for bio-inspired sustainable grinding

• New ideas for grinding were found with the inspiration through nature.
• Bio-inspiration can bring more sustainability into grinding.
• The proposed concepts include self-sharpening tools, nozzles, new environments, and more.

Sustainability in manufacturing processes needs to be increased. Bio-inspired design is one promising and innovative approach to design better products and processes. Therefore, this study uses bio-inspired design to find new process setups for novel grinding system components to address problems defined through an axiomatic grinding model. This paper discusses bio-inspired ideas for chip transport and tool cleaning, abrasive wear resistance, self-sharpening, breaking air barriers, cooling, and new process environments. Case studies and new concepts highlight potential improvements, but future research needs to validate these ideas. This study shows how nature can inspire improvements in grinding processes.