ABSTRACT
How the product is used, maintained, and reused will have an important impact on the environment. Much of the impact is predetermined by the engineering design of the product. The materials of construction, product packaging, and required maintenance are predetermined by the design of the product and the design engineers. Understanding of the customer requirements and how the product will actually be used by the end user is critical for the designer. If the designer is to reduce the environmental impact of the product, he or she must understand the total life cycle of the product. This chapter deals with specific issues related to the end user stage of the product's life cycle. To accomplish this, we need to address, as a minimum, the following:
• Boundaries • Activities in the user-reuse-maintenance (URM) stage • Presentation of inputs and outputs • Modeling • Data sources • Recommendations
The URM stage of the life cycle takes place after the distribution step and ends at the point where the end user discards the product or it enters a waste management system. This stage can be as complex as the manufacturing stage. The boundaries for this stage are illustrated in Figure 8-1. The figure shows that the URM stage begins when the end user takes possession of the finished product, including the packaging, and uses or consumes the product and ends when the used product is discarded. This definition can encompass all products from commercial products, defense weapons systems, and equip ment. Everything from paper clips to aircraft carriers fits into this system.
