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13. Applications and implications

This week I have been working on my final project answering several questions concerning how to create it, why, costs and usefulness.

The questions were as follows:

  1. WHAT WILL IT DO?

My final project resumes the research work of my master’s thesis focused on the creation of bioplastics.

The main difficulty I found in the process was mainly the drying time, which, besides being quite long, depends strictly on the surrounding environment, especially on temperature and humidity. Thinking of being able to foresee these times is difficult if you have to evaluate them and create the best conditions. This is why I decided to make my job easier by creating an Evaporation Oven for Bioplastic: THE BIO-OVEN.

The oven will allow rapid abscission of the compound thanks to the heat released by an incandescent bulb controlled by a relay, a device that allows a switch to be connected to a current circuit, opening or closing a circuit by means of an electrical impulse.

There will also be a fan connected to a DC Motor which will allow air exchange.

The temperature and humidity values will be collected by a heat sensor which will return the values to an LCD screen placed on the structure of the oven. All measurements will be collected in a dashboard that will provide feedback.

Ideally, you should also be able to remotely control the temperature reached by the oven and adjust it if necessary.

  1. WHO’S DONE WHAT BEFOREHAND?

Unfortunately, I did not find much material to support me. Creating bioplastics is a niche activity involving DIY techniques so everyone chooses the best equipment to achieve their own result. In the little material I was able to find, I came across the webpage of a Fabricademy participant who has created a tool for laying out bioplastics. In particular, inspiration came from looking at the work of TheShellworks, who has created various machines to help transform lobster shells into bioplastic.

  1. WHAT WILL YOU DESIGN?

The idea is to draw everything I need except the incandescent bulb and the power supply. I will make the structure of the oven, the fan, the electronic boards that will manage the temperature and humidity sensors, the gears to move the motor connected to the fan and the interface for the dashboard.

  1. WHAT MATERIALS AND COMPONENTS WILL BE USED?

The materials that will be used are:

  • Polystyrene (XPS) for the structure,
  • Wood for the box that will contain the cables and for the frame that will house the compound

  • Plastic for the fan

  • WHERE WILL COME FROM?

The materials I need will all come from the Lab or from the local hardware store.

  1. HOW MUCH WILL THEY COST?

  2. €20 Electronics

  3. €10 Power Supply
  4. €10 Wood for the base
  5. €10 3D filament for the fan

  6. €5 Polystyrene

  7. WHAT PARTS AND SYSTEMS WILL BE MADE?

I will create every part except the lamp and the power supply.

  1. WHAT PROCESSES WILL BE USED?

  2. External structure –> subtractive –> Shopbot

  3. Fan –> addictive –> 3D printing
  4. Box and frame –> subtractive –> laser cutter
  5. Boards with input and output sensors –> electronics production

  6. Dashboard –> Embedded programming

  7. WHAT QUESTIONS NEED TO BE ANSWERED?

The questions relating to my project are many and answering them at the moment is quite complicated as only the creation and then the use of the object will allow me to understand what the limitations are. The questions I would like to answer are:

  • What will be the right temperature for the complete drying of the bioplastics that will allow a good result and quick time?
  • Will the incandescent light bulb be sufficient to produce the heat needed?
  • Is the air recycling created by the fan enough to keep the environment dry or will more fans be needed?

  • Will it be possible to measure humidity and control it?

  • HOW WILL IT BE EVALUATED?

The only way to assess how efficient the oven really is will be to use it by placing part of the mixture inside the oven and another mixture outside and air-drying it. By calculating the times of both, it will be possible to assess how effective the use of the oven is in reducing drying times.

Last update: May 21, 2021