Bhoomi Gupta Design Technology HL Topic 2

Topic 2 - 1,920 words

Resource Management and Sustainable
Production

W
e need energy for multiple uses such as power supplies, fuel
diversification, electricity, etc. Today, to aid to those needs we have been
using non-renewable energy. Although, non-renewable energy sources
will run out soon as they are finite which will leave us deprived of any energy source.
For example, most countries use coal and
Vegetable Grater gas(non-renewable energy)for electricity,
which is why coal and gas are being
exhausted heavily and will be depleted
very soon. Moreover, exhaustion of non-
renewable energy resources releases
harmful gases in the environment
spawning climate change. Similarly,
fossil fuels are running out due to the
heavy usage of petrol.

A solution to this is, unlike non-

renewable energy, renewable energy is
produced from sources that don’t run out
or cause climate change as these are
infinite energy resources. There are up to
8 renewable energy resources. Namely,
wind energy, biomass energy, tidal energy,
geothermal energy, wave energy, hydroelectric
Solar Panels on Factory
energy, solar energy, and hydrogen fuel cells.

1. Consider your product is to be made in a

factory using renewable energy. What type of
renewable energy would you choose and why?
Include images of renewable energy sources.
(250 words)

My product is a vegetable grater which is used

to grate vegetables, fruits or cheese in a faster
and efficient manner. The shred board is made
of stainless steel and the safety handle and
bottom grip are made of rubber. If my product

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were to be made in a factory I would choose solar energy. Solar energy has many
benefits. Firstly, it is cost-effective. For a factory, continuous heavy electricity bills
would be horrifying. Although the cost of production and installation of solar panels
has drastically reduced because of the global demand which continues to reduce the
prices. Secondly, unlike other renewable energy methods, solar panels come in
compact sizes too. I can place them on my factory’s roof without having to worry
about the aesthetics or any extra parts which will disrupt any function. It also helps
me to generate electricity without having to worry about any power cuts since the
sunbeams directly provide me with energy, even during winter.

2. What is dematerialisation? What strategies will you adopt when making your product
to reduce waste? (300 words)

Dematerialisation is a productive strategy mainly used by manufacturers in the

production stage. It mainly focuses on ‘how to do more with less’. Especially, by
utilising strategies such as de-weighting, using recycled material, re-use, recycling
and durable designs. It mostly focuses on
3 - De-weighting using lesser raw materials in the production
stage. It reduces the amount of energy and
material used in the useful stage of the
product and most importantly reduces the
waste produced at the end of life, disposal
stage. I would adopt a strategy called ‘de-
weighting’ for my product. I observed that
the product has been given extra width, this
space is most often not used by the user.
Deduction of extra material from the sides as
shown in picture 3 would help de-weight the
product and most importantly, it will reduce
the production cost as the size of the product
is decreased leading to lesser production of waste. Since the shred boards are made of
stainless steel, I would definitely incorporate the use of recycled stainless steel which
is another dematerialisation strategy. By doing this I would reduce the waste
generation as rubber and stainless steel parts can be recycled easily.

In picture 3, I created a design which shows the elimination of the extra parts in the
grater. It is also safe to move this area as it would not hinder the usage in any way it
will make grating even faster because of the reduction in the surface area.

3. What type of Clean technology solution would you apply to the making of your
product? (150 words)

For my product, I would choose to apply incremental solutions. Incremental solutions

mean improving and developing products over-time which will lead to new versions
and updates in the new product. Unlike radical solutions, incremental solutions are

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not drastic. My product is used as a kitchen aid. So, my product may require many
ergonomic design changes, for this reason, my product needs to evolve over time to
suit the user’s needs. Plus, I wouldn’t need to invest in new technologies as I am
making small changes to my product. This way I can use the same trusted technology.
Moreover, I can quickly respond to legalisation as incremental solutions aid to
withstanding the impact of new legislation which will help me adapt quickly to
changes. Lastly, the total waste output would reduce when applied incremental
solutions because smaller changes like de-weighting contrive advancement in
efficiency and amount of embodied energy.

4. From the perspective of eco- design conduct a Life Cycle Analysis of your product
at all stages Pre production, Production, Distribution including packaging, Utilisation
and Disposal. Analyse the materials, energy required, and pollution/waste of your
product. (500 words or more)

LCA or Life cycle analysis is a technique which

helps us study the potential environmental impact of
our products. In LCA one studies all the stages of
the life cycle of the product from the accession of
raw materials through production, utilisation and
end-of-life. The purpose is to study the impact of my
product through manufacturing to the end-of-life
processes. The materials used in this
product(vegetable grater) are rubber and stainless
steel. It functions without any electrical equipment
or source.

Pre-production:
Rubber and stainless steel are both extensively used because they are both durable and tough.
Plus, they have a very smooth texture which is suitable for designing too. They can be moulded
and carved into all sorts of shapes and sizes. This makes them appropriate as materials for this
product. The rubber is extracted from the rubber-producing plants. Then it goes through a heat-
treatment process called vulcanisation. It is then made harder through heat and is finally
shaped and moulded into the final product. In this process, there is almost no wastage of
rubber as leftovers can be recycled and melted for other purposes. The heating process requires
a lot of energy into just moulding the rubber. Due to this, the energy consumption is very high
in the pre-production stage. Also, the heavy fumes and harmful gases released from the factory
pollute the air. Next, the raw materials(iron ore, chromium, silicon, nickel) are melted together
to create stainless. steel. After which the mixture is shaped into different shapes like slabs.
Then the slab is cut into thinner parts as per the requirement of the shape and size of the
product. This may cause some metal to be wasted as it is being sanded and cut but otherwise it
can be recycled as well. One of the cutting methods is called nibbling which is best suited for
this product as it has irregular shape and holes. Then the stainless steel is finished with
sanitary application and polishing to smoothen it for use. The carving and shaping require
machinery which then requires a lot of electricity, which means the extensive machinery used
to carve the metal require an adequate amount of energy. In this case, energy consumption does

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not seem to be very high but still requires improvement. Plus, the stainless steel industry is
very environment friendly and causes barely any pollutions as around 50% of stainless steel
scarp is used to produce around one ton of stainless steel. As a plus point, it is renewable and
recyclable.

Production:
The rubber is pressed into a rubber losing metal cavity and it is shaped into the top holder of
the product. This is a faster process and saves time and energy. Instead of using machinery to
press the rubber, simple re-usable metal is used. Since there is no machinery required or any
hearting process, there is no waste or pollution generated. Then the stainless steel strips are
adjoined together to create cuboid shapes but with the top and bottom opening. Then the rubber
part is attached to the top of the stainless steel part. Mostly using glue or rarely melting the
rubber on the stainless steel part. Both the rubber and stainless steel are polished together and
are sent for a cleanup. No pollutants are generated in this process. The clean up only consists
of a wash and final polishing. While the washing does consume water.

Distribution:
Once the clean up is done and the product is finished and ready, it is packaged into cardboard
boxes with one product in each box with other utilities like; a manual. The boxes are thin and
small and so is the manual. Very less paper is used in the packaging. The paper can be recycled
easily. Then the product boxes are shipped or delivered through trucks or other means of
transportation. Mostly shipping as a bulk of product are reached with lesser pollution as trucks
and tempos cause air pollution and extra traffic. It is then available to purchase in shops.

Utilisation:
During the utilisation process, once the user has the product they are all set to use it. It does
not The grater does not have any need for any extra material. Which saves a lot of resources as
this process can simply ruction perfectly on its own. It does not require external energy sources
to function either like; electricity. This saves energy. Most grater or juices are electric and
increase energy consumption levels. Unlike them, this vegetable grater will never consume
extra energy when used by the consumer. Although, it is slower than the electric ones since the
vegetable has to be grated manually in this. There is also no waste produced via this product as
it is intact and no part can be removed, nor can it pollute the environment during the
functionality. Even the grated items are used in the cooking processes. So, it doesn't generate
waste in any way. It depends on the consumer to balance the environmental impact. Mainly to
choose between faster processes or conserving energy resources.

Disposal:
The product has a very long life due to the sturdy materials(rubber & stainless steel) used in
them. Although, if at all the product broke or needs to be changed or replaced then the product
is fully recyclable. The product need not be dumped in a landfill but can be sent for recycling.
The rubber parts and the stainless steel parts can both be recycled separately to be reused. This
helps the environment are the materials are being recycled and no extra waste is produced. To
conclude, the LCA shows that my product consumes the most energy in the pre-production
stage although in the rest of the stages it comes to show that it is very environment friendly.
Minimal materials are used in the production of the product which is why it is easier to
produce and distribute and eventually use. The analysis could be more promising and exact if
we could find the exact distance of transportation, size of the product which would help get
better results of the environmental impacts.

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Citation:

“9 Good Reasons to Install Solar Panels.” Solar Panels, www.solargain.com.au/9-good-

reasons-choose-solar-energy.

Design Technology, www.ruthtrumpold.id.au/destech/?page_id=1474.

Grater Image

“How Is Rubber Made?” Blogs, 16 Oct. 2020, www.coruba.co.uk/blog/how-is-rubber-made/.