Disassembly analysis through time estimation and other metrics

This paper examines the problem of assessing product ease of disassembly for recycling in light of the broader issue of manufacturability evaluation. The disassembly time estimation method outlined here is shown to provide one of several needed metrics for use during product design. Moreover, the ability to estimate process time provides the foundation upon which other metrics can be developed. The evaluation based on disassembly time is demonstrated on an electric drill example, and the difficulties associated with generating other disassemblability metrics are discussed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.