Mechanical Life Cycle Handbook: Good Environmental Design and Manufacturing

Citation

Rigelsford, J. (2004), "Mechanical Life Cycle Handbook: Good Environmental Design and Manufacturing", Sensor Review, Vol. 24 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.2004.08724bae.001

Mechanical Life Cycle Handbook: Good Environmental Design and Manufacturing

Mechanical Life Cycle Handbook: Good Environmental Design and Manufacturing

Keywords: Environment, Design, Manufacturing, Mechanical engineering

M.S. Hundal (Ed.)Marcel Dekker2002661 pp.ISBN 0-8247-0572-6US$ 175.00 (hardcover)

The “Mechanical Life Cycle Handbook” provides a broad overview of good environmental design and manufacturing techniques. It explains how design for the environment (DFE) and life cycle engineering (LCE) processes may be integrated into business and manufacturing practices, and how products can be evaluated using life cycle analysis (LCA) and the threshold inventory interpretation method (TIIM).

The book comprises of 26 chapters divided into five main parts. Part I, General Concepts, contains six chapters including “Introduction to Design for the Environment and Life Cycle Engineering”, “Design Methodologies for the Environment”, “Environmental Laws in the United States” and “Legislation and Market-Driven Requirements: European Examples”.

Part II, Product Planning, addresses “Ecodesign with Focus on Product Structures”, “Decision Support for Planning Ecoeffective Product Systems” and “The Ecodesign Checklist Method: Design Assessment and Improvements”. “Development of an Integrated Design Environment for Ecological Product Assessment and Optimisation” and “Modelling and Control for Environmental Conscious Design and Manufacturing” are amongst the five chapters presented in Part III, Design and Manufacturing. Part IV addresses industrial practices. The following three chapters discuss “Life Cycle Assessment: Discussion and Industrial Applications”, “Life Cycle Engineering: A Tool for Optimising Technologies, Parts and Systems” and “Demanufacturing System Simulation and Modelling”. Chapters 18-21 present “DFE Materials and Processes”, “Application of Ecodesign in the Electronics Industry”, “The Economics of Disassembly for Material Recovery Opportunities” and “Product Disassembly and Recycling in the Automotive Industry”.

The remaining five chapters address management aspects. These include “Environmentally Friendly Manufacturing”, “Integration of Ecodesign into Business”, and “Decision Tools for the Design for Environment”.

This is an extremely well written reference text that will be a valuable resource to any design engineer. It contains contributions from academics and industrial authors, providing a broad mix of theoretical principles and practical industrial experience. As environmental legislation becomes stricter and consumer demands increase, the material in this book will find increased value to engineering students as well.