CO2 Processing System
Problem-Opportunity-Solution
The CO2 processing system comprises three components, as follows:
Problem: a manufacturing system comprising a manufacturing apparatus and process (i.e., machining, bonding, assembly, fastening, testing) and a manufactured product (i.e., hardware, subassembly, workpiece, substrate) which is constrained in one or more ways by one or more contaminants (product or tool) present before, during, or following the manufacturing process.
Opportunity: Constrained manufacturing systems generate significant amounts of manufacturing waste in terms of time, energy, space, yield, rework, scrap, labor, and/or material inputs or outputs.
Solution: CO2 technology provides a comprehensive and versatile set of methods and processes for reducing or eliminating manufacturing waste. CO2 methods and processes involve of the exchange of energy and matter – Mechanical (i.e., centrifugation, shear stress, cavitation), Physical (i.e., thermal gradient (heating or cooling), plasticization), Chemical (i.e., solubilization, funtionalization), and Radiant (i.e., IR/UV/EM radiation) – with a portion (selectively) or all (non-selectively) of a contaminant-constrained manufacturing system and process. Contaminant-constrained manufacturing systems addressable by CO2 methods and processes are referred to as CO2 applications.
