An evaluation methodology for disassembly processes

Disassembly is a systematic process that allows reusable, non-recyclable, and hazardous subassemblies to be selectively separated from recyclable ones. In this paper, we present a methodology to evaluate different disassembly strategies so that the best one could be chosen. Since the identification of all possible disassembly sequences of complex products is not an easy task, we also propose a disassembly sequence generation heuristic which gives a near optimum disassembly sequence for a product. The application of the methodology is illustrated by considering an IBM PS/2 Model 30 computer base. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.