End-of life evaluation of products

The design of products for ease of disassembly and end-of-life processing to recover and recycle potentially valuable materials is influenced by the possible end-of-life destinations for the component parts and sub-assemblies. The most appropriate choice of end-of-life processing for specific components is influenced by a number of factors, including the use of surface coatings, fillers, types of assembly methods, compatibility of materials and so on. This paper presents an evaluation scheme, which determines the suitable end-of-life destinations for the components within a product. The procedure utilizes a series of classification charts and numerical ratings, such that each item is given a numerical score for the possible end-of-life destinations. In this way, the overall material recovery potential of a proposed product design can be evaluated.