Comparison of the Embodied Energy of a Grinding Wheel and an End Mill

In this paper, measurement results of the embodied energy of a corundum grinding wheel and a coated cemented carbide end mill are presented. Both tools are industrial standard regarding geometry and composition. The single process steps and their energy demands for the manufacturing of both tools is analyzed and compared. In addition, based on literature values, their respective wear behavior machining Inconel 718 is compared. Despite a much higher embodied energy of the grinding wheel compared to the end mill, it is shown that the required embodied energy to machine a specific volume of material (J/mm3) is considerably lower for the grinding wheel.