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Automatic Disassembly using Smart
Materials, 'ADSM'.
The EU Waste and Electronic Equipment directive (WEEE) is with us!
Many electronics and electrical equipment manufacturers are unprepared,
but research co-ordinated by Habib Hussein at Active Fasteners Ltd,
Brunel University is targeted at helping companies meet their WEEE
obligations. Automatic disassembly of electronic products and components
using smart materials could enable cheaper and more efficient recycling.
The EU directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
came into force in January 2004. One of the main drives of this
legislation is to reduce landfill, and to separate out hazardous items
from waste, such as batteries and LCDs, as they cause pollution via
leachates. The targets for recovery of large household, IT and consumer
and other electronic items are 90%, 85% and 70% respectively, with lower
targets set for re-use. By 2005 the burden of responsibility will fall
on the manufacture, who will have to meet recycling targets by 2006.
What this means in practice and for whom is still open for debate, but
what is clear is that new and reliable ways need to be found of dealing
with all this waste material.
Smart Materials
One of the major hurdles preventing more widespread recycling and re-use
of electronic products is that they are time-consuming, and therefore
expensive, to take apart. Also, while some products contain precious
metals, such as mobile phones, others have no intrinsic value.
Disassembly is carried out manually, or by robots that are often not
sophisticated enough. Products are designed to be put together easily
not taken apart quickly.
Automatic Disassembly using Smart Materials, 'ADSM' is a revolutionary
technique for creating self dismantling products that have reached their
end of life condition. Using cutting edge technology ADSM promises a
brighter less costly future for OEM's of all sizes.
For more information:
http://www.activefasteners.co.uk
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