Integrated disassembly line balancing and routing problem with mobile additive manufacturing

This paper introduces the integrated disassembly line balancing and routing problem with mobile additive manufacturing (I-DLB-RP-MAM). In the I-DLB-RP-MAM, end-of-life products are first disassembled in a single disassembly center, and a vehicle equipped with a 3D printer then dispatches both recycled and 3D printed components to the customers, i.e. remanufacturing centers. Several demanded components are obtained in disassembly center and the remaining amounts are produced by 3D printer en-route. We formulate a non-linear mathematical programming model for the I-DLB-RP-MAM. We conduct experiments on a numerical example-based on a real product. Scenario analysis is conducted and results show that additive manufacturing technology can be successfully incorporated into the supply chain. We obtain significant improvements such as reduction in inventory and total cost.