Environmental and Economic Analysis of Composite Manufacturing Process Using Innovative Photonic-Based Integrated Sensors

Environmental and Economic Analysis of Composite Manufacturing Process Using Innovative Photonic-Based Integrated Sensors | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Environmental and Economic Analysis of Composite Manufacturing Process Using Innovative Photonic-Based Integrated Sensors Xiaofei Cui, Akram Zitoun, Sadik Omairey This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7470302/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The increasing adoption of composite materials in sectors such as aerospace, automotive, and energy highlights the need for more sustainable and efficient manufacturing processes. This study presents an integrated environmental and economic evaluation of a novel photonic-based sensor system designed to improve quality control during composite manufacturing. The sensor, embedded directly into composite tooling, enables real-time, high-precision monitoring of critical process parameters. A comprehensive life cycle costing (LCC) model, developed using a hybrid bottom-up and activity-based approach, is employed to assess the economic performance of the sensor across both prototype and scaled production scenarios. Simultaneously, a life cycle assessment (LCA) framework is used to evaluate the environmental impact. The analysis reveals that labour is the primary cost driver, and production efficiency is highly sensitive to learning curve effects and regional labour rates. The findings indicate that the sensor system offers significant potential for reducing costs and environmental impact, supporting its viability for industrial deployment. Composite Manufacturing Life Cycle Assessment Life Cycle Costing Sustainability Photonic Sensors Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7470302","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":506292439,"identity":"eb97b1dd-5815-404d-9a23-814cab92ad00","order_by":0,"name":"Xiaofei Cui","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xiaofei","middleName":"","lastName":"Cui","suffix":""},{"id":506292587,"identity":"524c000e-0339-4e97-8bb1-2264a67e2202","order_by":1,"name":"Akram Zitoun","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Brunel University London","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Akram","middleName":"","lastName":"Zitoun","suffix":""},{"id":506292588,"identity":"359e60bf-dbf3-47d0-bd74-566a6909e93b","order_by":2,"name":"Sadik Omairey","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"Brunel University London","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sadik","middleName":"","lastName":"Omairey","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-08-27 09:47:37","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7470302/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7470302/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":90062508,"identity":"0b4d8a80-0103-46b7-bfe8-109e011434c0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-28 03:58:13","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1275679,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ManuscriptSO.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7470302/v1_covered_9cebf64e-2111-40ea-ad4b-69acecba32d8.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEnvironmental and Economic Analysis of Composite Manufacturing Process Using Innovative Photonic-Based Integrated Sensors\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[{"identity":"8d6a06c8-fd91-4bac-b4f5-575413b5bb1f","identifier":"10.13039/100010661","name":"Horizon 2020 Framework Programme","awardNumber":"871875","order_by":0}],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Brunel University London","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Composite Manufacturing, Life Cycle Assessment, Life Cycle Costing, Sustainability, Photonic Sensors","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7470302/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7470302/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe increasing adoption of composite materials in sectors such as aerospace, automotive, and energy highlights the need for more sustainable and efficient manufacturing processes. 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