An Application Study on Reconfigurable Robotic Workcells and Policy Adaptation for Electronic Waste Recycling

The recycling of electronic waste (e-waste) presents significant challenges due to the diverse range of device models and conditions that need to be treated. This paper presents an application study that evaluates a reconfigurable modular robotic workcell platform and adaptation at different levels to address these challenges. The performance and effectiveness of the approach are assessed through two common use cases from the e-waste recycling industry: heat cost allocator disassembly and smoke detector disassembly, with the goal of battery removal. The initial setup time (the definition of dismantling procedures for a new device type), reconfiguration times (changing the workcell layout to switch between processes for different known device types) and cycle times (for dismantling one device) were assessed in terms of their key performance indicators (KPIs). The evaluation demonstrated the flexibility and adaptability of the workcell, which enables streamlined process development and efficient disassembly of electronic devices in different scenarios.