A novel selective parallel disassembly planning method for green design

Abstract

Disassembly sequence planning methods play an important role in green design. They are used to remove parts for repair, reuse, remanufacturing, or recycling. However, sequential disassembly removes parts one at a time. Therefore, sequential disassembly uses extra movements and extra reorientations to remove parts. Furthermore, the sequential disassembly cannot be used to remove parts that are interlocked or occluded. As a result, sequential disassembly cannot be used for many types of designs. The goal of this study is to create a novel selective parallel disassembly planning method for green design. The method uses modular design theory to group parts into modules, uses recursive rules to remove selected modules, thereby removes parts in parallel, and therefore reduces the number of movements and reorientations needed to remove parts. Furthermore, selective parallel disassembly can be used to remove parts that are interlocked or occluded. As a result, the method can be used for most types of designs. Study results show that the method can be used to reduce disassembly steps, disassembly time, and energy use, and therefore reduce environmental impacts and increase environmental quality.