UNIVERSITY OF PITESTI SCIENTIFIC BULLETIN FACULTY OF MECHANICS AND TECHNOLOGY AUTOMOTIVE series, year XVII, no.21 ( A ) USING THE ECO-DESIGN APPROACHING TO REALIZE THE FRIENDLY PRODUCTS FOR THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY Daniel -Constantin Anghel 1 , Adriana-Gabriela PLĂIAŞU 1 , Alin-Daniel RIZEA 1 1 University of Pitesti ABSTRACT: In this paper we present an Eco-Design study. In the design stage can be estimated until 80 % of the environment impact of the product. In order to realize the study, a number of design directives were considered, such as: minimizing the number of parts, optimizing the logistic chain, reconsidering the assembly methods whit the goal to reduce or eliminate the joint elements, use the new materials “friendly” whit the environment, reducing the energy spending, reduction the waste of water, reduction of the pollution during the whole life of the product, etc. The experimental study was made at the CCIA Research Center and our goal was to establish the role of Eco-Design in the product process development and the impact to the environment. For this study was choosing a car vacuum cleaner. The results of this study lead us to understand the contribution of each Eco-Design directive to realize an Eco-Product. KEY WORDS: Eco-Design, environment, design experiment INTRODUCTION Our work demonstrates the application of Eco-design techniques in redesign of a car vacuum cleaner. This assumes the diminution of components number, reducing consumption of raw materials, the optimization the manufacturing process and reducing the environmental impact. The Eco-Design approaches assume the inclusion of environment variables in its efforts to design and place at the same level of importance with those of efficiency, aesthetics, ergonomics, cost and functionality. The Eco-Design study is not new on the market. The designers were always motivated to search new challenges. Since 1972 the designers shows the impact of design in the environmental in the book Design for the Real World (1). Different strategies were developed possible for the implementation of eco-design, depending on the intended goals and impact on environmental. An appropriate development of the product imposes a new attitude of the concept: is not sufficient a simple recognition of materials and manufacturing process. Is strongly necessary an approach witch consider environmental issues, as new directions to rethink, to find, to reduce or to recycle a product (2). Since the mid-1980s these environmental considerations initiated primarily in the electronics sector and have been influencing the manufacturers of other types of products. Companies such as IBM, Phillips, Apple Computer, Sun Microsystems, and Sony began to design products with advanced technologies that eased disassembly and recycling of materials at the end of life. The use of alternative materials such as non-lead solder (materials selection), efficient use of energy and casings made from biodegradable polymers are included in design process. Volvo and Baxter, the manufacturers in the medical and automotive sectors, also began to use Eco-design principles (3), (4), (5). 15