Design for environment with aluminium extrusions

Abstract

Extruded aluminium sections have many features that make them suitable for use in environment-friendly products. Still there are much to be done to reduce the variability of section properties and to optimize the processing route from extruded section to finished and assembled component in order to meet cost, quality and performance goals, minimizing adverse environmental impacts and maximizing the conservation of valuable resources. Another important question taken up in this paper, however, is the problem of ensuring that aluminium sections are used in products and technical systems that are contributing to a sustainable development during their total life cycle. In order to ensure this, it is claimed that the it is necessary to carry out a product system diagnosis that combine ecological and competetive considerations. Further one has to promote design for environment that ensures functionality completely fitting into sustainable societies and innovatins based on a multidisciplinary approach, searching for synthesis of technology, the arts and the humanistic disciplines. The universities should take active part in this process, by creating new areas of competence and establish new alliances with the industry and the society.