Modeling and solving the parallel mixed-flow remanufacturing disassembly line balancing problem for multi-variety...

Area of Science:

• * Engineering
• * Operations Research
• * Sustainable Manufacturing

Background:

• * Traditional remanufacturing disassembly lines face challenges with component uncertainty in end-of-life (EOL) products, resulting in low efficiency.
• * The variability in component types and quantities hinders effective disassembly processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To propose a novel optimization method for parallel mixed remanufacturing disassembly line balancing (PMRDLB) for multi-variety products.
• * To enhance disassembly efficiencies and component value recovery in remanufacturing.

Main Methods:

• * Development of a parallel mixed-flow workstation layout.
• * Construction of a mixed-flow product disassembly task hierarchical assignment matrix for task allocation.
• * Creation of a PMRDLB optimization model with objectives including minimizing workstations and maximizing balancing rate and remanufacturing value.
• * Improvement of the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm III (NSGA-III) with a novel chromosome construction method and Pareto hierarchy-based sorting.

Main Results:

• * A case study demonstrated the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed PMRDLB method.
• * The improved NSGA-III algorithm showed increased searching rates during optimization.
• * The method addresses the uncertainty of component types and numbers in EOL products.

Conclusions:

• * The proposed parallel mixed remanufacturing disassembly line balancing method effectively optimizes disassembly processes for multi-variety products.
• * The approach enhances efficiency and value recovery in remanufacturing operations.
• * The study provides a viable solution for improving the sustainability of product lifecycles.