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Cooling display cabinet is designed for the environment.
With the rapid implementation of environmental legislation worldwide, new tools are needed- to-heW innovative companies turn their products greenbefore legislation is enacted. One such tool is Design for Environment (DIE) software. DFE simulates the disassembly of products at end-of-life and reveals the associated cost benefits and environmental impact of revision, reuse and recycling.
Recently, Stockholm, Sweden-based AB Electrolux used DFE software developed by Boothroyd Dewhurst, Providence, R.I., in collaboration with the TNO Institute of Industrial Technology in The Netherlands, The Electrolux Commercial Refrigeration product development team in Culemborg, The Netherlands, used DFE to analyze the strategic and design consequences of revision, reuse and recycling of a new product, the Chameleon cooling display cabinet.
The product life cycle
Typically, a display cabinet will be used for four to eight years, with a downward trend.
The environmental effects of the display cabinets are dominated by energy consumption. Modem display cabinets do not use CFC (R12) any more, though some supermarkets still have CFC-based compressors installed. The modern coolants are R404a, R507 and R134a, which have no ozone depleting effects, only some greenhouse effects.
As the basis for a strategic decision, Electrolux decided it wanted to quantify a number of end-of-life scenarios. From a list of eight scenarios, three were chosen as relevant and likely for the Electrolux situation. These scenarios were:
Reuse of components. The most valuable parts that still function would be reused as service parts or as parts in new display cabinets. In most cases, display cabinets would be disposed of because of aesthetic or stylistic outdating. Parts would be checked and sometimes repainted or repaired to some extent. Only reuse of parts in the same product model would be considered in order to prevent additional product design constraints for future models.
* Revision of used display cabinets. Malfunctioning components would be repaired or replaced; scratched or bent parts would be replaced. In this way, an additional life span of several years could be achieved.
* Full recycling of materials. Materials in the display cabinet are recycled as much as economically feasible. The recycling would be managed by Electrolux and not left to market forces and the user. Recycling facilities would be provided with product...