EcoDesigner, Now Available for Autodesk Inventor

Trayak’s EcoDesigner plug-in for Autodesk Inventor CAD software (image courtesy of Trayak).

Trayak’s EcoImpact application for environmental impact calculation (image courtesy of Trayak).

In 2012, Ohio-based life cycle analysis (LCA) software developer Trayak released EcoDesigner for Solid Edge, a plug-in to calculate environmental impact based on CAD geometry. (Read a review of EcoDesigner for Solid Edge here.) Recently the company launched a version of the same plug-in for Autodesk Inventor (priced $3,000). The software is now listed in Autodesk app store.

Installing the software adds the EcoDesigner tab into the CAD program. EcoDesigner works on both parts and assembly files. The LCA calculation is based on material info, production method selected, means of transportation, and supplier locations. EcoDesigner displays LCA impact as acidification,  total energy, eutrophication, and global warming.

For calculation, you have the option to use one of several methods, including: Eco-indicator 99, IPCC 2007 GWP (based on the International Panel on Climate Change’s global warming potential estimatation), ReCiPe Endpoint (developed by the Institute of Environmental Sciences, Radbound University, and a few other organizations) , TRACI (from the U.S. EPA), or CML2 baseline 2000 (from the Center of Environmental Science, Leiden University).

Trayak writes, “LCA is the science of environmental assessment defined by ISO 14040:2006 and ISO 14044:2006. It specifies rigorous and standardized steps and protocol for an environmental impact assessment over the entire lifecycle of the product. Performing a full LCA can require significant expertise and effort. EcoDesigner facilitates this process on the following CAD systems [Siemens PLM Software’s Solid Edge and Autodesk Inventor].”

Perhaps an indicator that manufacturing cost is as big a concern as LCA issues, EcoDesigner recently added cost estimates as part of the software’s function. Another category added to the software for LCA calculation is Supplier Transport, to estimate the environmental impact created by the suppliers’ shipping and transportation activities.

Trayak also offers EcoImpact, which performs similar LCA impact calculations from a browser, without a CAD model. EcoImpact can ingest standard BOM data from a PLM (product lifecycle management) or ERP (enterprise resource planning) system, which reduces the amount of manual work required to describe the product and its components.

One of the earliest CAD-embedded sustainability software is SolidWorks Sustainability, a LCA module tightly integrated with SolidWorks’ mechanical CAD modeling environment.

CAD-embedded sustainability tools work best in design variant comparison, to determine which of the two (or more than two, as the case may be) design versions is likely to produce higher pollution and carbon; or which version uses less energy in the manufacturing process.

A lack of information still remains one of the challenge for LCA calculation. Inputs like the transportation methods used by the supplier and mileages, for example, may involve more guesswork than precision, which affect the reliability and quality of LCA result tallies.