A set of novel Mixed-Integer Linear Programming models for robotic disassembly sequence planning in sustainable remanufacturing

Abstract

Disassembly is a necessary and critical step in the remanufacturing process of end-of-life products. The goal is to support decision-making in the sequencing of robotic disassembly, the selection of appropriate tools and the final use of the disassembled components (reuse, remanufacturing, recycling or disposal). While this problem has been widely studied by researchers and practitioners worldwide, much of the focus has been on heuristic and metaheuristic approaches rather than on the development of mathematical models. This study proposes a set of novel Mixed Integer Linear Programming models that completely describes the problem and generalizes those already present in the literature. The optimal solution obtained by the models combines the optimal sequence planning and the most suitable recovery option for each component, achieving the maximum profit from the disassembly process. Moreover, the formulations can be easily adapted to solve different disassembly modes: complete, partial or selective, as well as other specific variants. Computational experiments based on two industrial gear pumps are carried out and, as will be shown, the results demonstrate that the mathematical models are able to reach optimal solutions for the complete disassembly sequence planning problem in a short computational time.