All majors and experience levels encouraged to join
Zips Precious Plastic
Spring 2022 - TBD
No prior experience necessary. All majors encouraged to join!
Project Leaders: Delora Grace Allen and Jordan Collins
Progress:
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Working to complete the shredder machine (shreds plastic water bottles and cups into tiny pieces of plastic)
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Next, we will complete the extruder (melts shredded plastic pieces into a rod like film that can be used in molds to create different pieces
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Also, we will create the molds to start creating objects out of the shredded and melted plastic (keychains, sporks, etc. the opportunities are endless)
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Outreach: Continue to educate students on campus about the importance and impact of recycling plastics.
Completed Phases/Projects:
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Handed out keychains of the UA logo made with recycled plastic!
Phase 1:
Design Detailing
Getting Started! This phase entails the creation of a mobile plastic shredder, and a compression machine. The shredder will allow recycled plastics to be shredded into smaller pieces that will ease the manufacturing process. The compression machine will manufacture reduced plastic by applying mechanical pressure and heat.
Fun Fact: A million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute.
Phase 2:
Research and Design
Tearing it up! This phase builds on phase 1 by adding an extrusion machine and secondary plastic shredder. The extrusion machine will take shredded plastics and create structural supports and 3-D print filament. The secondary shredder will consist of a dual shaft to increase yields of shredded plastic.
Fun Fact: Over the past 50 years, world plastic production has doubled.
Phase 3:
Making Useful Parts
Creating something new! This phase allows for further development of the ZPP work space which includes the installation of a 3-D printer and injection machine. The 3-D printer will allow for further testing of 3-D print filament that will be created by the project. The injection machine will allow the space to create precise objects through machined molds.
Fun Fact: Every minute, one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into our oceans.
ZPP is utilizing a phased approach to establish our collaborative recycling work-space.