A Study on Evaluation Methods for Product Deterioration and Parts Re-Use towards Inverse Manufacturing

本研究的目的是建立一个基本的方法来评估产品在产品运行和零件再利用过程中的恶化，以实现闭环环保意识制造。本研究以商品家电和电子信息设备为例，因为目前从逆向制造的角度来看，商品家电和电子信息设备在产品再利用后没有得到适当的处理。调查了以下问题。(1)闭环制造的最优生命周期设计通过零件再利用和功能升级，探索产品生命周期的变化，设计最优生命周期。(2)评估产品劣化的方法通过使用广泛的计算机模拟，研究了预测产品使用过程中物理劣化的方法。(3)旧零件可重复使用性评价方法研究旧零件质量保证方法，以精确评价制造新产品的零件可重复使用性。通过对复印机和家用空调的设计实例研究，验证了所开发的方法和相关软件。结果可以推广到其他类型的产品。

The aim of this research is to establish a basic methodology for evaluating product deterioration during product operation and parts re-use in case of maintenance towards closed loop environmentally conscious manufacturing. In this research, commodity household appliances and electronic information devices are selected as examples, because currently they are not properly treated after product re-used form the standpoint of inverse manufacturing. The following issues have been investigated.(1) Optimal Life Cycle Design for Closed Loop ManufacturingMethods are considered for designing optimal life cycle by exploring varieties of product life cycle by use of parts re-use and functional up-grade.(2) Methods for Evaluating Product DeteriorationMethods for predicting physical product deterioration during product usage has been investigated by use of extensive computer simulation.(3) Methods for Evaluation Re-Usability of Used PartsMethods for quality assurance of used-parts are studied for precise evaluation of parts re-usability for manufacturing new products.The developed methods and associated software are verified by doing design case study for copiers and home air-conditioners. The results can be extended for other types of products.