Enhanced remanufacturing – A sustainable and resilient alternative to traditional manufacturing

Manufacturing infrastructure can be very difficult to change. Sustainability issues concern both energy and materials. Here, we focus on remanufacturing

The remanufacturing concept

The world is facing unprecedented challenges with global warming and climate change among the most serious for the medium to long term. Several factors contribute significantly, and many of them are very slow and difficult to change. Manufacturing infrastructure is one of those. Expensive and heavy equipment is very typical of this context. In this contribution, we reflect on the possibilities to reduce both environmental impact and resource depletion or excessive use.

Remanufacturing is a good starting point for this, and very compatible with existing infrastructure for industrial production.

In the classic definition, Remanufacturing is “the rebuilding of a product to specifications of the original manufactured product using a combination of reused, repaired and new parts” ^[1]. Sometimes, like-new (or better) is used, but the key reference is to the quality of the original product, and it usually requires the repair or replacement of worn out or obsolete components and modules. Amongst the many alternatives to product recovery options such as reuse, refurbishment or recycling, remanufacturing is deemed the most unique, as the considerable value from used products will be retained through extension of the product lifetime ^[2]. This value is implicitly a driving force for remanufacturing, which benefits both the customer and the provider of the remanufactured product.

We will extend this concept to Enhanced Remanufacturing (or Extended Remanufacturing), in order to emphasize, not only the economic value, in this alternative to regular industrial manufacturing, but also consider other environmental, logistic, redesign, or even social advantages, such as working conditions. Furthermore, materials other than the traditional steels and cast iron will be considered. These can be very sophisticated in composition and have considerable material value, such as superalloys or titanium alloys for aerospace applications. Hence, this is also a form of Advanced Remanufacturing.

Advanced materials

In our extended consideration of remanufacturing, one major factor is the embodied energy (energy required to produce 1 kg of the material in question) and the CO2- equivalent emissions (CO2-eq, climate change) caused by this energy use. In a total LCA of the products, the energy use and CO2-eq emissions from the other lifecycle phases need also to be considered, of course, but we can assume that these will be similar to the original manufactured product.

The embodied energy of a common aerospace superalloy, such as Inconel 625, for example, is some 10 times higher than a common carbon steel or cast iron ^[3]. This relation persists, even if a more realistic material than virgin quality is considered, only with lower numerical values. We have used the same database with a mixture of virgin and recycled material according to average industrial supply estimated in the same database ^[3]. This shows that the importance of reusing components or parts will be considerable, when considering environmental load.

The main point is that for industrial products, often metals with large mass, there is significant energy and related CO2-eq emissions to be saved, in addition to economic benefits. The absolute gain in both embodied energy and CO2-eq emissions is also greater in advanced materials, seen higher up in these diagrams, due to the logarithmic scales. A numerical example is that if a one-tonne component of typical high strength Al 7075 can be reused in a remanufacturing process, 10 times more, i.e., 10 tonnes of CO2-eq emissions is avoided in the materials phase, as can be seen in the diagram below. Other nickel-based alloys can save even more. In the aerospace industry, traceability issues may prevent the use of recycled material.

Industrial resilience and strategic material retention

One of the most critical challenges in modern manufacturing is securing stable access to raw materials, especially in high-value industries such as aerospace, energy, and automotive manufacturing. Geopolitical instability, export restrictions, and fluctuating material prices have made supply chain security a growing concern. Enhanced remanufacturing offers a strategic advantage by reducing dependency on virgin raw materials and minimizing exposure to supply chain disruptions.

For example, materials like superalloys, titanium, and rare earth elements are not only expensive but also subject to global supply risks. By reusing and refurbishing high- value components, manufacturers can retain critical materials within their ecosystem, reducing reliance on uncertain imports. This approach strengthens regional industrial resilience, ensuring continued production capability even during global material shortages.

Moreover, remanufacturing allows industries to decouple growth from raw material consumption, offering a more predictable cost structure in times of market volatility. This is particularly relevant for sectors where material shortages can lead to delays in production, increased costs, or even operational shutdowns.

Enhanced Remanufacturing Areas

Here are some examples linked to the remanufacture center currently being set-up by University West, in Trollhättan, Sweden with industrial collaborators.

We propose several areas useful in enhanced remanufacturing and explained more in detail below:

• Material and process optimization in Welding and Welding-based additive remanufacturing.
• Surface enhancement via Thermal Spray.
• High-precision repairs with Powder Bed Fusion additive remanufacturing.
• Non-Destructive Evaluation for quality assurance or life extension in remanufacturing.
• Smart flexible automation for remanufacturing.
• Circularity and sustainability through Supply Chain Management for remanufacturing.
• Skill development for remanufacturing with Industrial-Work-Integrated Learning.

1. Welding and welding-based additive remanufacturing
   • Our team specializes in repair and remanufacturing tasks using welding and Directed Energy Deposition (DED) processes. We focus on material pre-analysis, in-line quality monitoring, and sustainable post-processing, enabling high-quality part refurbishment.
2. Thermal spray remanufacturing
   • Leveraging our expertise in plasma spray and high- velocity air-fuel techniques, we offer solutions for surface enhancement and component lifecycle extension. Key contributions include surface characterization, coating deposition, and recycling of overspray powders, enhancing circularity and sustainability.
3. Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) additive remanufacturing
   • With in-house laser and electron beam PBF systems, we excel in material qualification and defect analysis. We aim to integrate these technologies into remanufacturing workflows, supporting sustainable, high-precision repairs.
4. Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) for remanufacturing
   • Advanced NDE techniques enable integrity assessments of remanufactured parts, ensuring defect detection and extending component life. Our work includes adapting NDE methods from nuclear to other industries.
5. Flexible automation for remanufacturing
   • We integrate predictive AI, robotics, and IoT for automated inspections, planning, and execution. This supports efficient reverse logistics and smart remanufacturing.
6. Operations and supply chain management for remanufacturing
   • Our expertise in reverse logistics, lean practices, and circular business models fosters sustainable remanufacturing ecosystems. We aim to develop and implement strategies enhancing resource efficiency.
7. Skill Development for Remanufacturing with Industrial-Work-Integrated Learning
   • By embedding research into practice, we facilitate skills development, fostering human-centric innovation and supporting the circular economy in remanufacturing.

Conclusion: A path to sustainable and resilient manufacturing

Enhanced remanufacturing is not just an environmental necessity, but also a strategic imperative for industrial resilience, economic growth, and global competitiveness. By retaining valuable materials, mitigating supply chain risks, and reducing overall production costs, remanufacturing provides a viable alternative to traditional manufacturing. We believe that further benefits in line with this extended view on remanufacturing can be obtained, similar to the example above.

The establishment of a dedicated Remanufacturing Center at University West, in collaboration with industry partners, represents a step forward in developing advanced technologies and processes that make remanufacturing scalable, efficient, and economically viable. As industries transition toward Industry 5.0, where sustainability and resilience play a crucial role, enhanced remanufacturing stands as one of the most powerful tools for securing long-term industrial success.

Authors:

• Joel Andersson, Professor, University West joel.andersson@hv.se
  • Tel: +46 520 223 338
• Claes Fredriksson, University lecturer, University West claes.fredriksson@hv.se
  • Tel: +46 520 223 321

References:

1. Johnson, M. R. & McCarthy I. P. (2014) Product Recovery Decisions within the Context of Extended Producer Responsibility. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management 34, 9-28
2. Charnley, H., Hwang, S. K., Atkinson, C., & Walton, P. (2019). ‘If I were given the chance’: understanding the use of leisure time by adults with learning disabilities. Disability and Society, 34(4), 540-563. https://doi.org/10.1080/ 09687599.2018.1522244)
3. Ansys Granta software (2024 R1), data from the MaterialUniverse database.

Acknowledgements:

We are grateful to the ongoing research programs at University West; DEDICATE, PODFAM, SESAM, RE-PAIR, REPAM, RAMP and to the Complete Academic Environment of Production Technology (CAE-PT) and Work Integrated Learning (WIL) environments at University West.