CAN MATERIAL STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION KNOWLEDGE HELP FACILITATING THE RECYCLING OF ELECTRIC AUTOMOBILE EQUIPMENT ?

摘要

In automotive industry the material selection is a key enabler for the realization of complex product design at low cost. Modern automobiles are complicatedly made assemblies, consisting of thousands of sub-assemblies and hundreds of materials. More than 150 types of technical base polymer and elastomer materials are important for various usages. Increasingly necessary production rationalization at the same time increases the chemical composition complexity. Major automobile manufacturers have adopted a Design for Environment strategy as part of their corporate green product philosophy. The knowledge of the used materials including related substances, plus the knowledge of optimal materials are prerequisites to meet current and future customer and legal requirements. German automotive industry's quality assurance concept implies that there is a clear relationship between the industrial product quality and the material composition of all product-constituting components. Quality assuring measures can be taken as soon as there is material composition knowledge available as electronically processible data. The product composition data is being assembled using the IMDS, which is building the data basis, allowing that OEM's can comply with legal and customer requirements. Electric parts are contributing an increasing portion in modern automobiles. Their product variety and their structure complexity make it desirable that material composition data, demonstrating legal compliance and increasing recyclate usage, can be reported in a flat, however, reliable way. For wire harness and electronic assemblies Flat Bill of Material reporting was discussed between suppliers and OEM's. This paper shows that the FBOM reporting concept can reduce suppliers' material composition reporting burdens, whilst it fully supports the data quality needs.