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Improving maintenance

Improvement <- ( A: raw material intensive, B: manufacture intensive, D: use intensive ) <-

Checklist for ECODESIGN analysis

Product
Is the product relatively insensitive to soiling and/or easy to clean?
  
  
What level of soiling is the product exposed to during use? Are the surfaces insensitive to soiling or dirt repellent? How can an accumulation of dirt be avoided?
Relevance (R) Fulfillment (F) Priority (P)
very important ( 10 )
less important ( 5 )
not relevant ( 0 ) 		yes ( 1 )
rather yes ( 2 )
rather no ( 3 )
no ( 4 )
P = R * F
Measure Design product for easy cleaning and/or minimize susceptibility to soiling
Idea for
Realization
Costs
more
same
less		 because
Feasibility
difficult
easy		 because
Action
at once
later
never		 Responsibility
Deadline

Is wear and tear concentrated on replaceable parts of the product?
  
  
Where does wear and tear occur in the product? What parts are particularly exposed to wear? Can they be replaced easily? What changes are necessary to concentrate wear on replaceable parts?
Relevance (R) Fulfillment (F) Priority (P)
very important ( 10 )
less important ( 5 )
not relevant ( 0 ) 		yes ( 1 )
rather yes ( 2 )
rather no ( 3 )
no ( 4 )
P = R * F
Measure Concentrate wear on replaceable components of product
Idea for
Realization
Costs
more
same
less		 because
Feasibility
difficult
easy		 because
Action
at once
later
never		 Responsibility
Deadline

Does the product have built-in wear sensors (service indicators) or can wear be easily measured?
  
  
What components are subjected to wear? What type of wear? How can wear and tear be measured?
Relevance (R) Fulfillment (F) Priority (P)
very important ( 10 )
less important ( 5 )
not relevant ( 0 ) 		yes ( 1 )
rather yes ( 2 )
rather no ( 3 )
no ( 4 )
P = R * F
Measure Make signs of wear easily visible
Idea for
Realization
Costs
more
same
less		 because
Feasibility
difficult
easy		 because
Action
at once
later
never		 Responsibility
Deadline

Is the product equipped with indicators and warning systems informing the user about servicing requirements?
  
  
What servicing does the product require? At what intervals? How can servicing intervals be indicated?
Relevance (R) Fulfillment (F) Priority (P)
very important ( 10 )
less important ( 5 )
not relevant ( 0 ) 		yes ( 1 )
rather yes ( 2 )
rather no ( 3 )
no ( 4 )
P = R * F
Measure Indicate servicing intervals for product
Idea for
Realization
Costs
more
same
less		 because
Feasibility
difficult
easy		 because
Action
at once
later
never		 Responsibility
Deadline

Is maintenance possible with the exclusive use of standard tools?
  
  
What activities are necessary for maintenance of the product? What tools are needed for this work? What tools are standard tools, which are available “everywhere”?
Relevance (R) Fulfillment (F) Priority (P)
very important ( 10 )
less important ( 5 )
not relevant ( 0 ) 		yes ( 1 )
rather yes ( 2 )
rather no ( 3 )
no ( 4 )
P = R * F
Measure Ensure maintenance with standard tools
Idea for
Realization
Costs
more
same
less		 because
Feasibility
difficult
easy		 because
Action
at once
later
never		 Responsibility
Deadline


Approach to assessment:
  1. Relevance:
    Rate the relevance of the assessment question with a view to your product. (10...very important for my product; 5...less important for my product; 0...not relevant for my product).
  2. Fullfilment:
    Estimate the fulfilment of the assessment questions using one of the four possible answers (yes / rather yes / rather no / no); the additional questions support understanding of the assessment question and need not be answered.
  3. Priority:
    Select ECODESIGN tasks with high priority (P) and continue only with these.
  4. Idea for Realization:
    Find ideas to realize these ECODESIGN tasks. The content of the learning part with its examples shall assist you in doing that.
  5. Feasibility:
    Evaluate the feasibility of the suggested ideas (difficult / easy).
  6. Costs:
    Compare the costs of the new ideas with a reference situation (higher / same / lower) and give reason for that.
  7. Action:
    Decide when to carry out the ECODESIGN tasks (at once / later / never) and determine the person or department that shall be in charge of further steps in the realizing the product improvements and fix a deadline.
  8. Save:
    Save the checklist to document the ECODESIGN assessment.

 

top design & copyright © Vienna TU, Institute for Engineering Design - ECODESIGN

Design product for easy cleaning and/or minimize susceptibility to soiling

Products that are difficult to clean or that cannot be cleaned at all are prone to become waste after a very short time – including all resources used for its manufacture. They will be replaced for bad looks, not for malfunction. In this context, surface design is of great importance. Surfaces should be dirt repellent or easy to “polish up”, at any rate, easy to clean. An excellent example can be found in nature: The petals of the lotus flower have a surface structure virtually preventing dust particles from sticking to it.


Concentrate wear on replaceable components of product

If a certain degree of wear and tear is unavoidable it should be directed to those parts in the product that can easily be exchanged and replaced. Wear should be prevented in components that are difficult to replace as this would make repairs time consuming and therefore expensive. This measure aims at prolonged product life through adequate maintenance and repair.


Make signs of wear easily visible

For components exposed to wear and tear the question of when to replace them is of great importance; built-in wear sensors can help to observe servicing intervals and ensure that a worn part is replaced neither too early (loss of reserves) nor too late (consequential damage, safety). Wear sensors can be rather simple (see example car tire) or consist in rather complex warning systems.


Indicate servicing intervals for product

Observing prescribed servicing intervals contributes to prolonging product life considerably. Cleaning and replacement of worn parts at appropriate intervals is a prerequisite for trouble-free operation. Indication of these intervals will inform the user about necessary servicing. Our example shows a rather complicated system, but simple indicators (e.g. warning light) will often be sufficient. Design should aim at uniform servicing intervals for the various assemblies and components.


Ensure maintenance with standard tools

It should be possible to perform maintenance and service work with standard tools. Special tools should be the exception to ensure that maintenance work can be done at any time.