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Session 3251

Product Reuse and Reliability

Richard Ciocci University of Maryland at College Park

Efforts of those who champion the cause of environmentally-considerate manufacturing are enhanced by overcoming the resistance of others to the adoption of those methods. Past experience with the implementation of continuous-improvement principles and procedures suggests that new manufacturing and design considerations do take some time to be integrated fully. There has been a great deal of research and development done by many organizations on product and process improvements in order to reduce environmental impact. Besides the documentation of the technical improvements, much of the literature describing the methods deals with the anticipated concerns of implementation. The performance of reused, high-reliability products, such as electronics has not often been considered in the adoption of new methods. With further development of recovery and reuse strategies, the concerns regarding implementation will subside, and more time and effort can be directed toward advancing the technical methods of environmentally -considerate manufacturing.

With the advent of take-back legislation and increase in the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) accountability for products, recovery of products and materials that can be recycled and reused becomes increasingly critical to the manufacturer. OEMs are charged with the disposition of the returned products, where those items that can be reused, repaired, or reworked make for a more environmentally - positive and cost-effective disposition. Steps that enable the development of a high-reliability-product reuse policy include identifying applications where a reused product with decreased reliability would be sufficient based on performance requirements, developing retesting procedures that measure reliability of reused products, developing field-repair procedures similar to in-shop rework processes, and managing product service life with a maintenance schedule. In addition to developing the procedures, the true life-cycle costs of all steps must be calculated for cost-benefit analysis.

This paper explores the issue of reliability of reused products; specifically the performance of reused, high-reliability products, such as electronic assemblies. Also explored is the consideration of reuse as part of an environmentally -considerate design and manufacturing operation. Reuse is an integral part of a Design-for-the-Environment (DFE) program, where the goal is reduction of adverse effects on the global environment by manufacturing processes. Impending legislation will make OEMs more accountable for disposition of their products. Therefore, it is imperative that manufacturers consider recovering and reusing products whenever possible to reduce the amount of product materials that will require disposal. It is also necessary to consider the impact that a reused product might have on reliability. This paper considers the background and definitions of Design for the Environment and its components, reuse, repair, and rework. Also, reliability issues are presented with a slant towards their place in electronics manufacture. Specific areas that must be addressed when forming a reuse policy that meets reliability specifications are suggested.

fdk~ 1996 ASEE Annual Conference Proceedings ‘..+,RYR’:

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Ciocci, R. (1996, June), Product Reuse And Reliability Paper presented at 1996 Annual Conference, Washington, District of Columbia. 10.18260/1-2--6250