Semi-automated robotic disassembling of personal computers

Recycling will be one of the new complex fields an engineer has to deal with. Due to the expected growing rates for disassembling, which is the starting point of all recycling processes, an automation of the process will be absolutely necessary. Resulting from the different product characteristics the selection and the use of equipment in a disassembling cell as well as the strategies and the types of organisation have to be taken under consideration. Based on this a procedure for the design of a disassembly cell has been identified. For its evaluation a concept of a PC-disassembly cell has being developed with different groups of PCs being classified according to their ability for automated disassembling. Parallel to the development of this automated disassembly cell, a computer aided planning system for a semi-automated cell layout is developed as well. Using this tool the planning and layout of a robotic cell for disassembling should be possible with savings on both the time and cost for planning