Green product design through product modularization using atomic theory

With increasing environmental consciousness and the establishment of environmental protection regulations, green product design not only plays a crucial role in a modern industry but is also becoming the main focus of the future market. In this paper, an innovative method is presented that uses the concepts of atomic theory to solve design modularization problems for green product design. With the developed method, products can be modularized based upon given green constraints, e.g., material compatibility, part recyclability, and part disassemblability. The developed method can help engineers effectively create green designs in the initial design stage, based on product lifecycle requirements. With green considerations incorporated into new modules, a new design can be created that improves upon an original design, with respect to environmental impacts. Product designers can use our method to compare differences between their original designs and the new green modules and then perform necessary design modifications. A table lamp and a motor are used as case study examples to show the effectiveness of the atomic-theory-based green product design method. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.