The increasing variability of automation levels in disassembly environments, ranging from manual operations to cooperative multi-robot systems, poses a significant challenge for sustainable product design. To address this, a novel methodology is introduced to optimize mechatronic product designs for robust performance across diverse disassembly scenarios, including varying levels of automation and robot configurations. Building on the Robotic Ease of Disassembly Metric (Re-DiM), a scenario configuration framework is introduced to systematically define and compare disassembly setups. The extended Re-DiM evaluates disassembly ease across multiple scenarios, while a performance analysis module visualizes the duration of individual disassembly steps, enabling the identification of both scenario specific and overarching disassembly challenges. The methodology is applied to a representative mechatronic product from Siemens AG. Disassembly inefficiencies are analyzed, and alternative design solutions are generated through a structured ideation process. Prioritized design variants are co-developed with the product owner and engineering team and evaluated using the advanced Re-DiM framework. Validation is performed using a real-world cooperative multi-robot system, comparing disassembly performance before and after redesign, and aligning the results with the methodological predictions. The results indicate a reduction in automated disassembly time for components relevant to remanufacturing and repair by up to 67%. This comprehensive approach enables the derivation of design compromises that perform consistently across all considered scenarios, while also allowing targeted refinement for specific disassembly configurations. The proposed methodology is scenario resilient, practically validated, and contributes to advancing automation-aware design practices in alignment with sustainable product development goals.
Janisch et al. (2026) studied this question.