WEEK 6

📐 Product design consideration 

In week 4 & 5, we investigated the different types of materials that can meet the needs and requirements of our product. These materials will need to meet a certain physical properties that allow the desired product that we designed to work and function properly. In week 6, we are looking at the various environmental impacts that certain materials have on the ecosystem and how we can strike a balance between both the physical properties and the sustainability during our material selection.

Some Generic Design Considerations/Principles:

•        Use non-toxic, sustainably produced, or recycled materials.

•        Use energy efficient processes.

•        Make product last longer.

•        Design for reuse and recycling. (e.g. easy to disassemble)

•        Consider product life cycle.

•        Shift from personal ownership to shared ownership.

•        Buy from nearby

 

🔄 What is product life cycle? 

A typical product life cycle consists of 6 stages, starting with the raw materials and ending when the product reaches its end of life, the disposal stage. Product designers make use of a technique known as the Life Cycle Analysis or Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to examine environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life from raw material extraction through materials processing, manufacture, distribution, use, repair and maintenance, and disposal or recycling.

🌏 What is Cradle 2 Cradle? 

Cradle 2 Cradle has 3 principles. Firstly, nutrients become nutrients whereby for example a tree leaf falls to the ground, degrades and becomes food for other organisms. Secondly, Use of renewable energies whereby systems are powered by renewable energy such as solar and wind. Moreover, use of renewable energy has no long-term impact on the environment compared to the use of fossil fuels. Lastly, celebrate diversity is for example, different systems coming together to make use of each other's waste to benefit their own system allowing for an overall decrease in waste produced by both systems.

Use of Renewable energy

Celebrate Diversity

Nutrients Become Nutrients

 

🌐 Product Life Cycle

Chemical product chosen: Batteries powered food preservation light shelf.

1. Extraction:

Batteries:

- Extracting Lithium from ores to make batteries.

- Mining for metals.

Lights:

- Collection of sand to make glass.

- Mining of specific ores to make light emitting diodes.

2. Manufacturing & production:

Batteries:

- Acid leaching to remove lithium from its ores and produce lithium battery acid.

- Melting metals and adding other elements to create alloys.

Lights:

- Melting of sand in hot furnace to create glass.

- Making of semiconductor from different ores extracted.

3. Packaging:

Batteries:

- Blacksmithing to shape metals to its required shapes and sizes.

- Shaping of metals to create the outer layer of the batteries.

- Production of batteries by filling the battery casings with battery acid and the use of electrodes.

Lights:

- Shaping of glass into the desired shape.

- Semiconductor circuit board made and used to form light for food preservation.

- Production of lights by formatting semiconductors and building the actual bulb itself.

4. Distribution:

- Shipping through cargo ships.

- Underground tunnel network.

- Truck delivery.

- Transportation using animals in rural areas.

- Railway delivery of product.

- Airline transport of goods.

5. Use:

- Used by consumers to preserve cooked food in shelves.

- Provides a dim light source.

6. Disposal:

- Recycling lithium batteries.

- Disposing batteries in hazard waste bins.

- Disposing plastic.

- Recycling plastic.

- Recycling of rubber that insulate the wire.

- Disposal of glass.

- Recycling glass.

- Reuse wires for other product.

- Recycling metals and plastics used to make the shelf.

Product Life Cycle Diagram:

✌ Cradle 2 Cradle

Nutrients become Nutrients:

By reusing metals from other disposed electronic products to be used for the structure of the shelf instead of mining more materials.

e.g.

1. Recycling aluminium to make battery casings for batteries and the overall structure of the shelves.

2. Reusing copper wires from other appliances for the batteries, wires, and lights in our product.

Celebrating diversity:

Avocado seeds disposed by food companies that use avocado as one of ingredients can be made into biodegradable plastic for the structure of the shelf which is less harmful for the environment.

Renewable energy:

Instead of using lithium-ion disposable batteries, an alternative like rechargeable batteries can be used to reduce the amount of waste generated and the rechargeable batteries can be powered by solar panels to reduce electricity wastage and making use of natural energy.