END OF LIFE MANAGEMENT OF AUTOMATION DEVICES

End of Life Management (EOL) is currently a hot topic in the electronics industry. Currently mostly IT equipment and goods of consumer electronics are considered. In the nearest future automation equipment have also to be taken into account. There are three possibilities depending on the age and kind of the device: Resell – Reuse – Recycle called the “3R‘s”.For recycling fully or semi-automated disassembly will gain in importance in the nearest future especially for automation devices. Developers of automation devices have to take into account EOL because of regulations and laws as well as according to ethical codes contributing to protection of the environment.First ideas about EoL of selected equipment for process as well as manufacturing automation will be presented. As a case study industrial robots were selected.