9MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY INSIGHTSOCTOBER 2023This becomes even more essential when sustainability is a key goal of the design. Consider the entire life cycle of the product to ensure sustainability. Adhesives can contribute to sustainability in many ways, including:· Reducing stress, so the product consumes less materials in its production· Enabling designs that utilize recycled or bio-based components· Choosing processes that minimize energy in production· Adhesives that are bio-based, compostable, or recyclable· Designs that can be de-bonded for repair (reuse) and recyclabilityOften the improvement in one of these areas is a trade-off with another. For example, a recycled material that is not strong requires more material. Creative design with a good knowledge of these trade-offs can result in winning products that support a circular economy.When these concepts are integrated into an agile manufacturing approach, designs can quickly evolve to meet rising customer expectations and stay ahead of the competition, while using fast, efficient processes to keep costs under control. While this vision of Industry 4.0 has existed for some time, it long seemed to be in some far future. However, we are seeing examples that this vision is becoming a reality faster than many imagined was possible as the pace of digitization accelerates. Customers' expectations change over time, and the configuration system and the product itself need to be continuously monitored and improved
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