Product modularization for life cycle engineering

Modular products consist of detachable modules, which can be manufactured, assembled, and serviced separately. Some of the modules may be reusable, recyclable or re-manufacturable upon product retirement. Thus, modular design can provide benefits to many aspects of product life cycle. This paper presents an integrated modular design methodology for life cycle engineering. The methodology consists of three phases: problem definition, interaction analysis and module formation. The methodology identifies the factors related to the design objectives, relates these factors to design components through interaction analysis, and clusters components into modules. Two case studies along with detailed analysis are provided to illustrate the methodology and the algorithms. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.