Major Product Design Project: Material Research
In this post I will be looking at the materials I have selected to include in my product specification. The materials include glass, aluminium and brass.The most important aspects of the materials are sustainability, weight and cost.
Glass is considered environmentally friendly due to its recyclability without losing its strength, in addition, it does no damage to the environment if wasted. 'Even if it does reach landfill its inert nature means that it will not give off harmful greenhouse gases like methane – nor will it have any detrimental effect on marine life if it is discarded on our coasts or at sea.' (Beatson Clark, 2020). Glass can be produced anywhere on the planet, this means that it does not have to travel a long way, which results in less carbon emissions from transport. The only downside to using glass is its production, it requires a lot of energy and if using fossil fueled energy sources, this can result in polluting emissions. It is important to choose a production company that works on renewable energy. Glass is relatively lightweight if used in smaller quantities. The price of glass in the UK has been fairly stable, making it a reliable material.
Similar to glass, aluminium is recyclable without losing its quality. 'Aluminium has one of the highest recycling rates of any metal, with over 75% of all aluminium ever produced still in use today.' (Aston Admin, 2023), this means that recycled aluminium is a responsible choice of material with lower cost. Aluminium does not rust either, increasing its lifespan. It is a lightweight material with strength and a minimal carbon footprint. 'Recycling aluminium also saves 95% of the energy used in its production from raw materials.' (ASM Metal Recycling, 2021). Aluminium would be a good choice to include in my product.
Brass would only be a sustainable resource if using recycled brass, since mining it is extremely environmentally unfriendly. Recycling brass is energy efficient and can be done time after time, since the material does not erode if primed well. Recycled brass is cheaper as it is constantly in circulation and a lot already exists in the world. 'The energy costs are lower than those of other metals and the cost of producing brass from the raw materials are also much higher than recycling.' (Brass Tacks Fittings Limited, 2018). The downside is that brass is extremely dependent on recycling, this means that if recycling numbers are low, the cost of the material may go up.
References:
Beatson Clark (2020). Environmental Benefits of Glass Packaging - Beatson Clark. [online] Beatson Clark. Available at: https://www.beatsonclark.co.uk/environmental/benefits [Accessed 17 Feb. 2024].
Aston Admin (2023). Is Aluminium Sustainable? [online] Aston Architectural Aluminium. Available at: https://www.astonaa.co.uk/about/news/why-is-aluminium-sustainable [Accessed 17 Feb. 2024].
ASM Metal Recycling (2021). Is Aluminium Environmentally Friendly? the Green Metal. [online] ASM Metal Recycling. Available at: https://www.asm-recycling.co.uk/blog/why-is-aluminium-environmentally-friendly/ [Accessed 17 Feb. 2024].
Brass Tacks Fittings Limited (2018). What Exactly Is Brass and Is It Really Sustainable? [online] Brass Tacks Fittings Limited. Available at: https://www.brasstacksfittings.co.uk/news-what-exactly-is-brass-and-is-it-really-sustainable-27 [Accessed 17 Feb. 2024].
Again you have found out facts and reiterated these here - but you need to much more closely relate this to your project work
ReplyDelete