A distributed design methodology for extensible product life cycle strategy [electronic products]

In this paper, the problem of life cycle mismatch in electronic products is discussed. An extensible product life cycle (EPLC) strategy is proposed and studied, which is a possible answer to the problem of e-waste and helps to lower product costs and improve environmental performance. The EPLC strategy is a recognition of the mismatch between product performance life cycle and its functional life cycle. In essence, an EPLC strategy is to reincarnate a product at component level and share these components with other products in a proactive manner, thus forming a product chain that extends and continues the life of the otherwise "obsolete" product in different industrial applications. Implementation of this strategy is different from the current practice of product reuse. It requires the manufacturers to schedule a product's extended life cycle early in the design phase and optimize the design parameters considering the requirements in the extended life span. Since the design problems involved in EPLC are interrelated and designers are also distributed in different departments, a distributed design framework is developed to find the Pareto optimal set for the design problem involved in EPLC. A conclusion is detailed in the final part of the paper.