Product life cycle management approach for integration of engineering design and life cycle engineering

Abstract

AbstractOptimized lightweight manufacturing of parts is crucial for automotive and aeronautical industries in order to stay competitive and to reduce costs and fuel consumption. Hence, aluminum becomes an unquestionable material choice regarding these challenges. Nevertheless, using only virgin aluminum is not satisfactory because its extraction requires high use of energy and effort, and its manufacturing has high environmental impact. For these reasons, the use of recycled aluminum alloys is recommended considering their properties meet the expected technical and environmental added values. This requires complete reengineering of the classical life cycle of aluminum-based products and the collaboration practices in the global supply chain. The results from several interdependent disciplines all need to be taken into account for a global product/process optimization. Toward achieving this, a method for sustainability assessment integration into product life cycle management and a platform for life cycle simulation integrating environmental concerns are proposed in this paper. The platform may be used as a decision support system in the early product design phase by simulating the life cycle of a product (from material selection to production and recycling phases) and calculating its impact on the environment.