J.A. Stuart

A Product and Process Selection Model with Multidisciplinary Environmental Considerations

Introduction of product designs and process innovation requires a company to evaluate complex cost and environmental tradeoffs. In the past, these have not included environmental costs. This paper describes the first known analytical approach to capture comprehensively measurable corporate environmental impact considerations for the product life cycle. A mixed integer programming model is developed to select product and process alternatives while considering tradeoffs of yield, reliability, and business-focused environmental impacts. Explicit constraints for environmental impacts such as material consumption, energy consumption, and process waste generation are modeled for specified assembly and disassembly periods. The constraint sets demonstrate a new way to define the relationship between disassembly configurations and assembly activities through take-back rates. Use of the model as an industry decision tool is demonstrated with an electronics assembly case study.

Investigation of electronic assembly design alternatives through production modeling of life cycle impacts, costs, and yield

Environmental legislation, technological advances and increasingly competitive global markets have led to a number of different product and process design choices for electronics assemblies. Decision tools to aid in the selection of a product and process design have been limited to qualitative methodologies. In addition, trade-offs between environmental impacts, yield, and reliability have not been analyzed. In this paper, electronic assembly product and process design alternatives are investigated using a quantitative methodology with life cycle considerations for environmental impacts. These impacts include energy usage, material consumption, waste generation, process yield, and product reliability.

A practical framework for the reverse supply chain

The technology, production and sales of consumer electronics has increased dramatically in recent years. As a result, the volume of discarded products also continues to grow rapidly. Thus, it is important to divert end-of-life products from landfill disposal for reuse or materials recycling via product take-back. A systematic and practical framework is needed for the reverse supply chain. In this paper, the authors first compare take-back planning with traditional production planning. They review existing models, identify gaps, and overview several new models. Then they present a set of analytical models for the reverse supply chain.

Materials selection for life cycle design

The use of recycled materials is increasingly important worldwide as product take-back and producer responsibility legislation are mandated, product labeling programs are adopted, and sustainability goals are promoted. In this paper, we review materials selection guidelines and provide over one hundred references. We distinguish between component level and product level materials selection guidelines. We discuss the relationship between the life cycle timeline and the impact of the materials selection guidelines. We illustrate how materials selection decisions impact distribution, consumer use, repair and refurbishment, and other end-of-life activities. Finally, we survey both qualitative and quantitative materials selection methods. We summarize the development of models to assist designers with (i) insights into end-of-life product management strategy, (ii) use of recycled materials, and (iii) design selection with integrated consideration of materials, manufacturing, and end-of-life impacts.

Towards quantifying the effect of lead legislation on electronic product and process design

In this paper we demonstrate the use of the Emerging Product Process and Consideration of Environment (EPPACE) mixed integer programming model to evaluate the effect of a lead tag or limits placed on availability of lead on economic decisions for product and process design. The paper concludes with directions for future study. Other questions that might be answered using the EPPACE model are discussed.

Teaching engineers how to analyze problems

Unaware that a team of engineers had failed to obtain approval for any of their six proposed renovations, the author excitedly approached his first instructions, Design a laboratory layout for an old building. Less than two weeks into the project, he presented plant management with a new problem statement, How do we perform the ten critical chemical tests quickly and economically and proposed a creative location for a new laboratory. By crossing disciplines to identify the true problem and a new solution, he became their first summer intern to lead a major capital project which was approved before he began fall classes. Over the past five years, the company saved millions of dollars with his proposed laboratory. As an engineering educator, the author wants his students to achieve similar success in identifying the problem drivers and developing approaches. One of his greatest concerns for engineering students is that they learn how to assess a problem and determine an appropriate solution method. Too often students and even practicing engineers expect a problem to come with a problem type label.

A method for teaching problem assessment [engineering education]

In practice, engineers face open-ended problems that they must define and solve. In contrast, engineering class assignments are often well defined. In order to facilitate student learning in exploring and formulating problems, an interactive assignment structure is proposed. In this paper, a project assignment structure is presented to encourage students to ask questions, to cross disciplines in seeking information, and to be creative in defining a problem and developing solution alternatives. A specific implementation of the proposed method is described.

Insight into reuse of high impact polystyrene from post-consumer electronics equipment housings

This paper focuses on engineering approaches for sustainability and design for materials reuse through preliminary studies of characterization of post-consumer resin properties and experimental blends. Because these challenges are multidisciplinary, collaboration between chemical engineering (polymer processing), industrial engineering (manufacturing processes), and mechanical engineering (product design) are described. In this paper, we describe our progress in evaluating the viability of reusing post-consumer and virgin polymer blends of high impact polystyrene from electronics equipment housings. Plastics reuse challenges are briefly reviewed, and experimental results, such as rheological properties, physical properties, simulation and design properties of a relatively thin-wall application are summarized for reuse of high impact polystyrene (HIPS) from printer and monitor housings.

Innovative instructional mentoring through partnerships across the curriculum

The authors summarize the motivation, implementation process and findings for instructional mentoring for a junior level core class in industrial and systems engineering.