Seb Gregory - Design

2013-04-10T22:55:00.002-07:00

The Lightbulb Conspiracy

2012-11-11T23:36:00.002-08:00

The Lightbulb Conspiracy (2010) documents the foundation and birth of planned obsolescence. A set of commercially driven ideas, planned obsolescence (PO) is the active reverse-engineering of products in such a way so as to reduce a product's lifetime, creating a reciprocating cycle of purchase and disposal.

The doco follows the personal journey of Marco, who is one of the many, witness to the senseless waste, pre-programmed into our products. After a technical 'hardware' issue renders his printer un-usable, Marco sets out to track down the reason why modern day products are no longer built to last. His journey highlights the growing e-waste problems that are destroying the environment, and the throw-away lifestyle of the advanced global communities.

One point of interest is that this throw-away lifestyle is perhaps supplemented by the design community, who on behalf of the manufacturing companies, feed the endless seasonal regeneration of product variation. And a condition of needing the newest and best ensues, helped along most of all by the fact that our current products aren't built to last.

At the inception of this idea, is the humble incandescent lightbulb, the first casualty to PO. Orchestrated by the Phoebus Cartel (1924 until 1939), the lightbulb was forced under a regime of reverse-engineering such that it would only last 1000 hours, previous to which lightbulbs were built to last 2000 plus hours. And the premise behind this restriction in build quality, was based purely on capital gain and the emerging free market.

A further example is Du Pont's innovation in developing nylon and furthermore the nylon stocking. Upon commercial release, the stockings were of such high quality that women would seldom need to replace them. For a large company like Du-pont, this was a mark of scientific achievement, but commercial failure. Du Pont were swift to brief their engineers and chemists to reduce the quality of the stocking, so as to proliferate sales, but also failure and disposal of the ruined nylon stockings.

This trend never went away and more than ever, we are surrounded by inferior products, that satisfy their function, but for a limited time only. There is, however, another trend, of empowered consumers, developers and designers fighting the battle against PO.

And it is with an awareness of the environment, economy and social ethics that these renegades of anti-waste are fighting back to produce a market of products built to last and sustain the environment.

It is a pursuit for excellence and durability that some manufactures never lost. Whilst still under communist regime, the former East Germany, produced products under strict regulation and quality quarantine. This was a necessity of fiscal conservatism, and had the brilliant effect of creating an industrial manufacturing sector built on quality and longevity rather than turn-over and profits.

Perhaps it is these sort of values that need to be placed on our possessions, and as a designer, the sort of qualities that need to be built into our products. It is no more expensive to produce a well designed, modular and repairable product over a subordinate one.

This is a personal goal of my own design, and should be a growing awareness amongst consumers.

(Image shown under creative commons licence. Author; Beckstei. Source: Flickr)

ATTN MAR: Blog feedback

2012-10-14T19:10:00.007-07:00

http://katebarclay.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.stellaanddesign.blogspot.com.au/
http://stasiep.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.dalewakeham.blogspot.com.au/
http://z3333622.blogspot.com.au/

PSS- Bike lock system

2012-10-14T16:43:00.003-07:00

Bike stop is an in-situ electronic bike lock system. It is intended for large cities like Sydney, Melbourne, London, New york etc. The system aims to decrease the threat of bike theft, and increase commuter sentiment towards cycling by adding key benefits unique to this PSS.

The unit is Polycarbonate construction surrounding a tamper-proof hardened steel chasis. This is attached to a wall or any other permanent infrastructure, using magnetically driven anchor bolts.

The heart of the unit is a Normally Closed (NC) electronic deadbolt which only uses 5W of energy when opening the deadbolt. When there is no energy in the system the bolt stays securely shut, thus preventing theft in blackouts or if any wires are cut etc. That said, the low energy demands can be supplied via solar power.

The lock is accessed via RFID card unique to each service subscriber. The user simply presents their card at any lock point in the city. The deadbolt opens, the bike is placed in the unit, and the latch is shut. The lock can then only be accessed by the RFID card of the bike owner.

However, the entire system is run off a network. This allows users to share access privileges with friends also within the subscription service. This can be done from a smartphone or computer, thus enabling a unique bike-sharing system.

For example, 'Damo' might ride to work on a friday, after which he intends to go to the pub. 'Damo' can share his access of his locked bike to 'Dale' so he can borrow the bike for the weekend.

ATTN MAR: PEER COMMENTS

2012-09-09T18:44:00.002-07:00

http://www.blogger.com/profile/09533074071195924564
http://www.blogger.com/profile/14543912156520537229
http://www.blogger.com/profile/18196921519074632350
https://plus.google.com/108697802115389425971
http://www.blogger.com/profile/04317113681169636402

Final Pres...

2012-09-09T17:30:00.004-07:00

Sun-squid is a fun alternative to current sunscreen packaging, with a strong focus on the under 12 years childrens market.

The packaging takes the chore of applying sunscreen for both parents and children and turns it into a engaging ritual, giving the child the capabilities and interest in applying their own sun cream. The inverted pump action is initiated by pressing the top chamber down, with a portion of sunscreen squirting out from the base of the unit.

The unit can be locked so as to prevent leakage in school bags etc. Furthermore the pump is fully recyclable, and uses less parts than traditional reciprocating pumps (NB; Traditional reciprocaitng pumps are not currently recyclable in Australia.)

The unit is gravity fed so as to minimise wastage liquid, with all liquid draining into the pump. The modular system is refillable meaning the base needn’t be disposed of for renewal of liquid

Focus Group feedback

2012-08-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

What are my strategies for addressing the issues found? What steps should I take to ensure that my posters communicate the merits of my design in the best possible way for the Cormack industry critique next week?

What are the issues, difficulties or problems that my peer group found in understanding or interacting with my design, as expressed by my mockup and posters?

- Lock info-graphic is too dominant and there is no indication of unlocking.

Add unlock symbol and show info-graphic as de-bossed detail so as to make it more subtle but still informative.

- There is limited information to show method and context of use.

Possible emboss or de-boss info-graphics onto packaging. Definite need for more hand pictures on posters indicating how to use. Focus group misinterpreted how to use product from posters and couldn't figure out pump-action. I need a range of contextual product diagrams. I need to clarify the interaction of the hands with the entire packaging unit.

- Clarify how refill system works

Posters need to show the system of purchase for buying refills and disposal of recyclable refill bottle. I also need to show how the user would detach and attach the refill system. This should be a clear chronological graphical illustration. There needs to be some reference to how the product will be used by parent and child.

- Not enough technical detail

I still haven't fully resolved the technical detail of the pump action and as such I didn't indicate any technical data on the posters. This will be ratified once I have developed the mechanical detail and resolved this as a CAD model.

- Pink may be too gender-specific

I need to choose a gender neutral colour colour rather than any colour that may be gender specific. Also I would rather have only one unit colour instead of specifying a male and female colour.

- Posters weren't numbered, too little information on certain topics

I need to make the presentation boards flow in a logical pattern. Each poster should have a general topic title. I need to also reduce the amount of space dedicated to current packaging problems. Combine this information with hero-shot of final product.

11th hour reflection

2012-08-05T20:06:00.003-07:00

If all of recorded time were represented as one earth year, the comparable length of human existence would be so insignificant that it would occupy only the last 60 minutes of that year. But perhaps what is not so insignificant, is the human impact on the world, in the very short time we have dwelled the planet.

11^th hour defines this impact as not slowing down, but exponentially growing and is a product of the way we choose to conduct ourselves, but more precisely, the way we define our existence. And the way we choose to define this existence is by an insatiable need to progress in a way that leads to unsustainable consumption.

The opening themes address a sentiment of disharmony with the planet and an overall human mentality that states humans beings as being a separate entity to the environment. As we develop year by year, human society is growing with an overall disregard and apathy for the biosphere and this has terrible ramifications on the environment.

During the industrial revolution, steam power, and in turn, electrical power, came to define the means by which growth and mass consumption of products were achieved. This brilliant engine of growth needed fuel and it was at this point when natural resources became a rich commodity. Progress determined by the amount of output and thus, under this model, the only way to increase progress was to increase output. This device of progress has had wonderful implications for humans, and has afforded the world of increased consumption, increased technological development and subsequently, increased population limits.

But there is one overwhelming flaw to this idea, and that is we live in a finite world, and the problem with finite capabilities, is that it is finite, exhaustive and unsustainable to maintain an infinite/exponential level of consumption.

Case in point is the unsustainable consumption of fossil fuels. The extraction of crude oil from the earth, represents a shrinking and non-regenerative resource and the major problem with this is that humans have developed rapidly as a society because of the inherit embodied energy of oil. This ancient bio-mass has given humans the ability to produce at a rate of immense speed and furthermore, increase the level of extraction of other resources. As such there is a sinister and unseen by-product of our production and consumption, and that is the fact that we never pay full return for our consumables, as the earth resources take an un-replenish-able tax on our growth.

The more we take from these natural resources, the more we shift the natural order of the ecosphere and it is now we see the results of our actions in the form of climate change and global warming. “Every living biosphere is in decline and accelerating”. This is a scary notion. As we continue to live in a global society dominated by the policies adhering to economic advance, the ways in which we conduct this advance are steadily destroying the environment. And perhaps the biggest problem of all is that the vehicles of potential change and the policy makers in charge of our societies are for the most part aligned with corporations only interested presenting profits to stakeholders. Thus as our economy grows, it encroaches on and destroys the biosphere.

However, it is easy to point the finger at the corporations and manufacturers, but maybe there is a deeper problem with our values and ideals. We are all consumers and we conduct this consumption in a way that aids the strategies of big business. And the problem is, that this consumption is not sustainable. Thus there is perhaps an overwhelming need to shift our ideals to sustainable patterns of living in way that ultimately changes the way the entire world approaches consumption of resources.

Perhaps at the heart of this is design. “Redesigning design” to foster ideas of sustainable and ethical living. Every day thousands of electronic items are discarded in near perfect working order, and consequently e-waste is the fastest growing facet of waste in the world today. These wasted items represent millions of dollars of resources, being buried and adding to the problem of environmental pollution.

As an industrial designer, every brief must be addressed with disposal and reuse in mind, in a way that promotes the idea of “Cradle to Cradle methodology”. This simply is creating products and services that may be easy re-cycled or re-purposed so as to reduce the impact of growing waste. Products should last a lifetime and the methods of production should be focussed on using renewable and low energy resources.

Beyond these technical issues, it is about changing our consumer perspectives, in a way that affects changes, both at a consumer manufacturing level, but also at a policy making level. Changing the community awareness of these issues will ultimately lead to policy shifts aligned with positive change. And it is on this point where I see the most value of industrial design in changing this awareness. Producing newfound value in ethical products can be achieve effectively with compelling design and will ultimately add to the strength of a product brand/ image.

The more we produce and consume products based on manufacturing principles dating back to the industrial revolution, the further we will compound our environmental and social economic problems. At even at the 11^th hour there is still time to rapidly change our future for the best.

Project One

2012-07-29T16:19:00.000-07:00

Initial concepts

goog

2012-07-24T02:09:00.002-07:00

Video feedback one

2012-07-22T00:41:00.000-07:00

Dot point break down of recycling procedures and facts;

Giving packaging a new life video series

Paper;

- Dissolved and pulped in pulper

- Any impurities and inks are removed

- Additives are added for specific papers

NB; Newspaper can be produced entirely from waste

Toilet paper 60-70 % waste paper

Tetrapak;

- Made up of about 80% cellulose, good for making long, high-grade paper fibres.

- Polyethylene and Aluminium components

- Thrown into wet drum, paper swells and separates Aluminium and Polythylene

- Paper fraction is recycled into premium quality paper

- Plastic and Al is used in concrete and road based production

- IR sorting and compressed air blowout units sort the tetrapaks from other packaging types.

Tinplate (Steel);

- Sorted at recycling facilities with large magnets and sent to steel production plants.

- Around 40% of steel production in Germany is facilitated by re-using scrap (NB: it is about 20% in Australia). It is melted in the blast furnace with virgin components (coke, iron ore and fluxes)

- In Germany this scrap is enough to make 9 billion new cans.

- A Tin can be recycled indefinitely without quality loss.

Aluminium;

- Sorted from other packaging with eddy current separators (Magnetiser)

- Granulated and sent to aluminium processors

- Melted, rolled and then used in packaging or other aluminium applications

- This production from recycled product uses 1/20^th of the energy normally consumed in virgin production.

Glass;

- Sorted by colour by the end-user (Germany), as it is almost impossible to recycle clear glass if it has coloured contaminants.

- Plant further recycles and purifies material streams onto clear and coloured variants

- Optio-electric machines precisely locate and remove contaminant variant to maintain homogeneous streams.

- Glass is crushed and melted fro reproduction into new bottles etc.

Plastic;

- Up to the beginning of the 90's plastic was burnt or put in landfill.

- Up to 2/3 of plastic produced is recycled, as documented by the resources balance

- 'properly separated means half recycled'

- Plastics are sorted into homogeneous plastic type using optical sorting scanners.

- Expanded polystyrene is crushed and then formed into new components

- Films are melted and then re-extruded to make new film

- Or melted and re-granulated for resale to plastic part manufacturers.

- Mixed plastic are recycled into products for general utility purposes where finish and colour aren't critical

Sorting Innovation;

Sift Drum – separates waste according to size

Air separators – blow out films

Belt magnets - lift cans off the belt

IR systems – sort PET and composite packaging

Washing drums – remove paper content

Shredders – break down plastic and aluminium

Eddy current separator – Removes aluminium

Centrifuges – Separate types of plastic from one another

How it's made video series

Cardboard Boxes;

- Most share common feature; Two layers of card stock sandwiching internal corrugated structural sheet.

- Roll stock is mostly recycled. The first roll is passed through a corrugating press that forms the wavy structure of the card, with the addition of hot steam.

- A second roller applies a starch based glue that does not cause toxic contamination of the board, followed by application of exterior layers of card.

- The large sheets are then cut into individual boards for die-cutting of the box net shapes.

- Boxes are folded and glued.

- Some are laminated with printed paper or wax paper.

Packaging tubes;

- Made of aluminium slugs roughly the size and shape of a coin. They are then coated with a powdered zinc steric lubricant.

- Slugs are fed into a forming press called an impact extruder. This high-pressure utility forms the slug into a hollow cylinder, with a mandrel forming the end of the tube.

- Rollers cut the thread on the lid end. The nib is still remains closed with a small sheath of aluminium. This is pierced by the consumer and the contents are filled by the various production companies at the reverse end.

- The inside of the tube is sprayed with a two part epoxy lacquer to protect the aluminium from the eventual contents.

- A flexible coating of polyester enamel paint is applied to the outside giving an optimal surface for printing.

- Finally after inserting the final contents (paint, body cream, toothpaste etc) a latex sealant is applied to hold the tube together after it is folded shut.

Tetra Pak;

- Commonly used to store perishable items for up to a year. Tetrapaks are made up of several layers of materials;

- Typically 4 layers; plastic, paper, aluminium foil, plastic (All individually recyclable materials)

- Paper board layer is printed to start the production process.

- This layer is then laminated to the plastic and aluminium components with heat application and pressure rollers.

- Then entire roll is then fed through a series of linear cutting machines. These rolls are then sent to the product packaging facility.

- At the product pckging facility the rolls are fed into a proprietary Tetrapak machine that sterilises the roll before bending and sealing into a continuous roll. This roll is then filled with the various product and simultaneously cut and sealed into individual packaging.

- Final stage is folding and gluing end tab to achieve the overall rectangular form.

Aluminium can;

- Infinitely recyclable but high embodied energy (solidified electricity).

- Sheet stock is fed through a die-cutting press that cuts the material into circular discs, about 20mm diameter. Off-cut is sent back to be melted into new rolls.

- This disc is then deep-drawn into a shallow cylindrical disc shape. This dish is then formed into the final dimensioned cylinder, by drawing the form in reverse of the first dish. The can gains it parabolic base and rim details at this stage of forming, giving the base a solid structure (The other end is still open).

- The cans are then sterilised in six stages (Hydrofluoric acid and de-ionised water). The base is then coated in varnish allowing the can to slide properly on the conveyor belt and in vending machines.

- The outside of the cans are printed and the inside is coated with a water-based varnish, protecting the can from the often corrosive inside liquid.

- The neck is formed in seven stages to work harden the aluminium and also maintain the paper thin wall thickness and a flange is added.

- Finally the cans are sent to the product packaging facility for filling and attachment of the pull-tab top.

Glass bottles;

- Endlessly recyclable and uses less energy than using metal or plastic.

- Ingredients; Silicone 45%, soda ash 15% and limestone 10%, all naturally abundant resources (but not infinite!), and cullet 30% (recycled glass). These components are fed into a furnace for a day at about 1500 degrees Celsius where all the ingredients melt into the molten silica glass.

- This molten material is precisely cut and fed into a preliminary moulder, making whats called a parison; a miniature version of the final mould shape.

- This is then fed into a blow-moulder which pushed compressed air into the parison forming the cavity of the bottle.

- The bottles are cooled gradually to release thermal stresses slowly.

- The proportion of cullet in the glass affects the overall embodied energy of the glass, that is, the more cullet the less energy needed for melting and forming.

Plastic bottle (PET);

- The bottle pre-forms (initial form with threaded top) are injection moulded using a mix of virgin and recycled granular plastic.

- This pre-form is sent to the packaging plant for further forming.

- The pre-form is heated and blow-moulded into its final form. This can be done in a singular pass or through multiple passes to eliminate sudden fracture.