164
the LCA. The user can also choose whether or not to include the impacts of the
energy required in the assembly process.
The next section asks for information relating to the use of the assembly. This
starts with the region where the assembly will be used and any operational energy
needs of the assembly over its life span. The use region determines the energy mix
used by the product, if applicable, and the end of life conditions. In the next section,
“Transportation,” default values are assumed based on the region of assembly and
use. Lastly, the assumptions about the end-of-life disposal for the assembly, based
on percent recycled, incinerated, and landfilled, can be updated if they are known.
8.5.1.6 View Results
The “Environmental Impact” dashboard for an assembly file looks identical to that
of a part file. It displays information across the same life cycle stages and impact
categories. Users can still switch between the TRACI and CML LCIA methodologies and can still set the duration of use of the product. The same graphs and percent
change indicators, as the current design relates to either the previous design or an
established baseline, quickly visualize the results of the study.
The “Assembly Visualization” feature of SolidWorks can integrate with the
information from SolidWorks Sustainability to visually indicate the impacts of the
discrete parts that make up the assembly. This feature can sort the parts and indicate
the results by color coding the parts in the order of their impacts. For example, parts
of an assembly shown in red contribute the most to GHG emissions and should be
focused on to target reductions in total carbon. Some of the properties that can be
used with the assembly visualization include carbon footprint, energy consumption,
air acidification, water eutrophication, durability, manufacturing location, and manufacturing process. These different ways of viewing the model can help the user to
easily identify hotspots in the design and find targeted areas of improvement.
While there is a lot of functionality to view and act on the results of the LCA
study within the SolidWorks Sustainability dashboard, there is also the functionality
to save the results of the study and further analyze them. At the bottom of the task
pane is a button to save the report with three options, as a report (.docx), a spreadsheet (.csv), or a GaBi input file (.xml) which integrates with the GaBi LCA software. The report that is generated gives general information about the product,
including the weight, as well as all of the information about manufacturing, use,
transport, and end of life that the user inputs while defining the components. The
same graphs, one for each impact category broken down by life cycle stage, are also
included. Lastly, there is a list of the ten parts that contribute the most to each of the
impact categories. The spreadsheet report lists the input assumptions and results by
impact category and life cycle stage. Examples of how SolidWorks Sustainability
can be used to inform design decisions can be found in Sect. 9.4.
8 Dashboard
the LCA. The user can also choose whether or not to include the impacts of the
energy required in the assembly process.
The next section asks for information relating to the use of the assembly. This
starts with the region where the assembly will be used and any operational energy
needs of the assembly over its life span. The use region determines the energy mix
used by the product, if applicable, and the end of life conditions. In the next section,
“Transportation,” default values are assumed based on the region of assembly and
use. Lastly, the assumptions about the end-of-life disposal for the assembly, based
on percent recycled, incinerated, and landfilled, can be updated if they are known.
8.5.1.6 View Results
The “Environmental Impact” dashboard for an assembly file looks identical to that
of a part file. It displays information across the same life cycle stages and impact
categories. Users can still switch between the TRACI and CML LCIA methodologies and can still set the duration of use of the product. The same graphs and percent
change indicators, as the current design relates to either the previous design or an
established baseline, quickly visualize the results of the study.
The “Assembly Visualization” feature of SolidWorks can integrate with the
information from SolidWorks Sustainability to visually indicate the impacts of the
discrete parts that make up the assembly. This feature can sort the parts and indicate
the results by color coding the parts in the order of their impacts. For example, parts
of an assembly shown in red contribute the most to GHG emissions and should be
focused on to target reductions in total carbon. Some of the properties that can be
used with the assembly visualization include carbon footprint, energy consumption,
air acidification, water eutrophication, durability, manufacturing location, and manufacturing process. These different ways of viewing the model can help the user to
easily identify hotspots in the design and find targeted areas of improvement.
While there is a lot of functionality to view and act on the results of the LCA
study within the SolidWorks Sustainability dashboard, there is also the functionality
to save the results of the study and further analyze them. At the bottom of the task
pane is a button to save the report with three options, as a report (.docx), a spreadsheet (.csv), or a GaBi input file (.xml) which integrates with the GaBi LCA software. The report that is generated gives general information about the product,
including the weight, as well as all of the information about manufacturing, use,
transport, and end of life that the user inputs while defining the components. The
same graphs, one for each impact category broken down by life cycle stage, are also
included. Lastly, there is a list of the ten parts that contribute the most to each of the
impact categories. The spreadsheet report lists the input assumptions and results by
impact category and life cycle stage. Examples of how SolidWorks Sustainability
can be used to inform design decisions can be found in Sect. 9.4.
8 Dashboard