Aesthetic durability & Repair

Each year, over 50 million tonnes of electronic waste is generated globally, with the Netherlands averaging more than 20 kg per capita (Compendium voor de Leefomgeving, 2023). The shift from a linear to a circular economy is crucial in addressing this issue, emphasizing the importance of durability and repairability in product design....

Feasibility assessment of manufacturer-controlled spare parts manufacturing using AM technology: A case-study in vacuum cleaners

This graduation project delves into the use of Additive Manufacturing (AM) to produce spare parts through a case study of vacuum cleaners. Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), including products like vacuum cleaners, challenges the European Union’s (EU) sustainability goals. In 2020 alone, the EU collected an estimated 12.4...

Circular kitchen appliances: Designing an induction hob fit for repair and remanufacturing

Context <br/>The amount of electronic waste keeps growing, half of which is white goods. In the meantime a transition from gas hobs to induction hobs is taking place. Induction hob have a shorter lifetime and contain more valuable materials. As a consequence, the induction hob e-waste will increase significantly. <br/><br/>To prevent a further...

Guidelines for Designing and Making Advanced 3D Printed Replacement Parts

This thesis presents the development of guidance cards for consumers engaged in “3D Printing for Repair” (3DPfR). When being engaged in 3DPfR, consumers face multiple challenges, for example printing parts that can resist high temperatures, or making parts with fine details. The goal of this project was to develop guidelines which allow...

Redesigning Adria Caravans for a Circular Economy

This project started with the following assignment: redesign the Adria Action caravan to fit in a circular economy and to have less CO2 emissions. However, the outcome of this project is not a redesign of a caravan but a framework for Adria to work towards (partial) circular As an example of the functioning of this framework, a redesign of the...

iFixit Coffee Maker: How we can provide the right tools and right knowladge to improve the maintenance and repair of full automatic coffee makers within the EU

This project focuses on how we can provide consumers with the right tools and the right knowledge so that they can take care of their coffee makers. The final outcome of this project is a toolkit that includes all the necessary items for maintenance and repair and a website to help consumers through the fault diagnosis process (i.e. help them...

Enhancing 3D printing for repair: Designing a system that enhances the collaboration between repairers and makers

This project focuses on enhancing the accessibility of 3D printing for repairers by designing a system in which repairers can collaborate with makers. Repair has become rare in societies with an abundance of cheap goods. However in recent years repair is making a gradual comeback in western culture. Citizen repair initiatives such as Repair...

Application of 3D printing in Repair

Repair was once a common act. With increased product diversity and complexity, a scarcity and obsolescence of spare parts is making repair increasingly difficult and economically unviable. The result is an accelerated turnover of manufactured goods, which are more often replaced than repaired. As products are discarded, embedded materials and...