Proposed framework for flexible de- and remanufacturing systems using cyber-physical systems, additive manufacturing, and digital twins

Abstract

Under the circular economy paradigm, de- and remanufacturing systems are more relevant than ever. However, such systems present specific challenges related to the system structure, automation, and recovery of complex products. At present, operations such as disassembly and quality assessment of returned products largely depend on manual labor and the high variety of returned products makes restoring disassembled parts demanding. This paper proposes a framework for de- and remanufacturing systems based on Human-Cyber-Physical Systems (HCPS) that includes additive manufacturing for refurbishing damaged parts during the remanufacturing process. The framework is illustrated using MANULAB at NTNU.