Evaluation of the Recyclability of Vehicles During the Product Development Phases

<div class="htmlview paragraph">In a voluntary agreement, the German automobile industry has undertaken to recover 95 percent by weight of End–of–Life Vehicles in the year 2015. In addition, the European draft directive on „End–of–Life Vehicles” recycling calls for evidence that at least than 85 percent by weight of the materials are suitable for material recycling. It is therefore essential while new vehicles are being developed to be in a position to assess their suitability for dismantling and recycling.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">An automobile consists of a large number of individual components, each of which must be examined separately before a well–founded statement regarding the overall recycling level can be made.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">For this purpose the BMW Group has developed its own dismantling software which permits virtual dismantling analysis even during a vehicle's development phase and thus enables suitability for recycling to be determined at the earliest possible time.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The “<b>D</b>ismantling <b>A</b>nalysis <b>I</b>nformation <b>Sy</b>stem” (“DAISY”) is a software program capable of recording and evaluating detailed dismantling data, for example, material compositions, joining technologies and dismantling times and depths.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">In addition to suitability for recycling, the results indicate the composition of materials in accordance with VDA 231–106 from which the vehicle was made, and the scope for disassembling and recycling individual components of the vehicle.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Knowledge regarding suitability for dismantling and recycling enables target data to be monitored or determined both when new vehicles are under development and when production starts.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">This information is essential if future environmental protection and recycling requirements are to be complied with as part of the manufacturer's product responsibility.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">This software is suitable for determining the amount of recycling possible on End–of–Life Vehicles if they are to be stripped down for materials recycling at processing companies. The data can then be supplied directly to licensed dismantlers by way of the <b>I</b>nternational <b>D</b>ismantling <b>I</b>nformation <b>S</b>ystem (IDIS).</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">By modifying the peripheral conditions as appropriate, it is possible to integrate new recycling processes into „DAISY” at any time and to take changes in general recycling conditions into account.</div>