Design for the urban mine

Abstract

Plastic is a material that has greatly improved well being for the masses. However, it also contributes significantly to pollution of the natural environment and depletion of natural resources. So far only a small percentage of plastic is recycled and used for the production of new products. Inferior material quality and the inability to make a profit out of plastic recycling has led to little development in the utilization of this material. Umincorp is a company that developed a separation technique called magnetic density separation. With this technology they aim to make a profit from recycling and deliver high purity monostreams that can be used for a wide range of applications. This report describes the process of the development of a showcase product for Umincorp. The product aims to convince designers and producers of injection mould products, that Umincorp’s material can be used as a valuable resource for mass production. The research creates an understanding of what value this high purity material has to offer and what role designers and producers play when trying to increase the demand for this material. Next to injection moulding; rotomoulding, blowmoulding and extrusion are looked into to find opportunities to utilize the recycled flakes directly. Injection moulding was found to be the most accessible production method for processing the recycled flakes. The production of keychains in an existing mould using recycled PP was an important part of this conclusion. The choice for production in a 3d printed mould at the company P3d was made to establish a product design and production within limited time and costs. 3 concept proposals were made for products that could be presented in the context of a business fair. A business cardholder that can also be used as a nametag in multiple ways was chosen as the final product. It gives multiple qualitative examples of injection mould features, aesthetic and mechanical properties. It was produced with 99+% purity recycled PP flakes from household waste with 6 different colour separated batches. P3d noted that the material can be processed without complications. Unfortunately, the cardholder’s geometry was a bigger challenge to produce in the 3d printed mould than was expected. This resulted in an early failure of the mould, leaving only 14 products that are unable to close because of unusable clickfingers. The surface quality of the products do not show much imperfections and 6 different colours were obtained. 4 interviews were conducted with developers of injection moulded products to come to the final conclusions for the results of this project. It shows that the target group is partly convinced about the value of this material. Using the flakes directly for the production seems to surprise people when they see the surface quality of the products. The developed products seem to be a step forward in opening up the conversation about possibilities for recycled plastics from Umincorp. Next to these products, quantitative data should be available in the form of reliable data sheets and test samples in order to take away more insecurities from designers and producers of plastic products.