Disassembly sequence generation using information entropy and heuristics for component replacement

This paper describes a methodology of generating disassembly sequences for component replacement at maintenance stages, which are used for evaluating the ease of disassembly at product design stages. Information entropy evaluation and heuristics bring about the efficient generation of disassembly sequences. The disassembly is evaluated based on two criteria: disassembly time and disassemblability. The authors developed a software tool integrated with a CAD system and carried out an experiment for an electric drill using the tool.