1

Life Cycle Assessment  

San Marin High School

Tanner Spence, Andersen Teoh

Max Leonard, Wesley Fink
 2​

Table of Contents
1- Title Page
2- Table of Contents
2,3- Raw Materials
3- Transportation/Distribution
4,5- Manufacturing Process
5- Use-Reuse/Maintenance
6- Recycling
6- Wastes and Emissions
7- Citations

Raw Materials
● Water
○ The water from anywhere in the world can be used for our design, all it
needs is the right ratio, which we will provide with instructions.
● Sawdust
○ Although sawdust spreads the best through the water before freezing,
any wood pulp works, even toilet paper!
● Carbon Fiber
○ Low density graphite fiber
○ Much lighter than steel or aluminum
○ Low corrosion
 3​

○ High strength and stiffness, can bear the brunt of being a tool
○ Very high temperature tolerance and low thermal expansion
● Steel
○ For smaller, precise pieces such as bolts and connecting inserts
○ Carbon fiber does not work as well for intricate parts
○ One main example of this would be threading
 

Transportation/ Distribution
● Parts that require transport
○ Tool rods and rod sections will need to be delivered from factories as
they require complex machining, either with tight size constraints or
threading
○ Molds will require shipping as smaller ones will have low tolerances to
still do their job.
○ Heavy duty head-rod attachments will require shipping as they require
machining. 3D printing may not be an option depending on which tool it
will be used for.
● Parts that do not require transport (onsite production)
○ Wood pulp (and wood pulp products) are almost omnipresent. Simple
paper could be used, however wood pulp or sawdust is recommended.
● 3D printable parts
○ 3D printed molds by nature can be fabricated on site given enough time
and planning.
○ Tool rods can be fabricated via 3D printing for tools that will not endure
extreme forces
○ Head-rod attachments can also be 3D printed for tools that do not
require a weighted head.
 4​

Manufacturing Process
● Assembly of tool rod
○ In the assembly of carbon fiber, organic polymers are combined with
gases, liquids, and other materials, the exact measurements kept under
lock and key by carbon fiber manufacturers
○ Raw materials, precursors, are heated to very high temperatures and turn
into strands of fiber
○ These are then spun with other ingredients into more fibers which
stabilized with chemicals
○ The outside of the fibers are oxidized to improve their bonding
○ They are then headed in a mold and combined with a plastic polymer in
order to create the shape of the handle
○ The handle must have outer threads on the side attaching to the tool
head
● Assembly of tool rod-head insert
○ A 1 to 1 ½” in diameter hollow pipe of steel is needed with one end
closed
○ This should be cut to about 2 inches in length
○ Threads are added along the inside walls using either serial taps or nut
taps, these should match the threads on the tool rod
○ Small pieces of steel are added to the closed end jutting outwards at
even intervals, these lock into the ice when the insert is placed
○ This metal piece is coated and treated to withstand cold temperatures, an
example being an electrolizing or galvanizing coating
● Assembly of mold
○ Either produced through a 3D printer or manufactured
○ 3D Printer
■ Mold previously designed on CAD system
 5​

■ Printed using silicon or a plastic based material such as nylon or

PLA
○ Manufactured
■ Silicon or a plastic based material is heated in a mold
■ After taking the shape of the mold outside, it is cooled
■ The solid mold is treated with chemicals to preserve it and make it
more temperature resistant, such as a silicone conformal coating
● Assembly of tool head
○ A mixture of 14% paper shreds/newspaper/sawdust and 86% water is
created to an amount that matches the size of mold used
○ If available, mix polyacrylamide (PAM), sodium carboxymethyl cellulose
(SCMC), and gelatin together to create a gel. This will come with the
product if requested
■ Mixtures are approximately 50-60% gelatin, 40-45% SCMC, 0-5%
PAM
○ Mix the gel with the liquid pykrete thoroughly
○ Fill the mold with the gel-pykrete mixture
○ Place the tool rod-head attachment inside of the opening of the mold
○ Freeze using any method available
○ Remove the mold and view your new tool head

Use-Reuse/Maintenance
● Repairable
○ Tool heads are both repairable, but not needed. They are cheap and easy
to replace
● Non-Repairable
○ Tool handles are some of the few machined parts and require a high
degree of precision. Telescoping parts will not function properly if
dented, and threaded ones will not fit together if tended on the threading.
 6​

○ Molds are not repairable as they require a seal to retain water.

Depending on the material, it will usually be cheaper to replace them.
○ Attachment points require machining, but should still be functional (if not
more functional) so long as the threading remains undamaged.
 

Recycling
● The Rod
○ Since the rod is made of various metals it would be able to be melted
down and made into something else via casting.
● The Head
○ The head is already recycled water as the pykrete will be using
greywater to preserve water.
● The Mold
○ The mold does not have any recyclable materials due to its need to be
expandable, thus no materials will be biodegradable. However the mold
will work after more than one use and can last for a long time..
 

Waste/ Emissions
● The Rod
○ The rod has little to no waste due to the fact it is made out of metal. It is
easily recyclable or able to serve a different purpose.
○ Ideally 0 oz. of waste but realistically a minimum of 20 oz. of waste per
dozen tool kits.
● The Head
○ If the person making the head is not careful and does not use gray water
they could end up unintentionally wasting clean water. Using gray water
allows them to be made without wasting potable water.
○ Would end up with Ideally 0 oz.
 7​

● The Mold
○ Depending on the materials, molds may have little or a lot of waste. 3D
printed ones will of course be using plastic, which has its own
downsides.
○ This will have the most waste and my estimate is 100% of the mold will
be waste

Citation
https://www.innovativecomposite.com/what-is-carbon-fiber/

https://www.thoughtco.com/how-is-carbon-fiber-made-820391#:~:text=Carbon%20fiber%20is%20ma
de%20from,or%20the%20petroleum%20pitch%20process

ALLUVIUM-REINFORCED ICE: A PRELIMINARY REPORT OF BENDING STRENGTH TESTS by W.A

Nixon, 1988

Preparation and properties of novel building materials at low temperature by Jia Hui Li, Zhen Wei,
and Chao Wui, 2014