Blog Post 12 The Electronic Wasteland: 60 Minutes Special

60 MINUTES SPECIAL : THE ELECTONIC WASTELAND : AIRED NOVEMBER 18, 2008

We watched the Electronic Wasteland special in class. It was a about a very critical concept for Industrial Designers and Product Designers to understand: the creation of product waste. It specifically focused on the US production of Electronic waste. It exposed realities of US “recycling,” the sale of waste to china, and how it really is disposed of.  Electronic Waste or E-waste is an informal name for electronic products becoming unwanted, non-working or obsolete, and have essentially reached the end of their useful life. Because technology advances at such a high rate, many electronic devices become “trash” after a few short years, or maybe even days, of use. Many products are even starting to be designed for obsolescence, is a policy of planning or designing a product with an artificially limited useful life, so it will become obsolete, that is, unfashionable or no longer functional after a certain period of time. The rationale behind the strategy is to generate long-term sales volume by reducing the time between repeat purchases. Computers, televisions, phones, VCRs, stereos, copiers, and fax machines are common electronic products that are quickly turned over in the market, yet are not being recycled properly. Many of these products can be reused, refurbished, or recycled according to the 60 minutes special. Although some of the materials are dangerous, or difficult to dispose of. Materials like lead, mercury, Cathode Ray Tubes, insulated wires, PCB circuit boards contain toxins, and are very difficult and costly to dispose of properly. When people attempt to recycle these products, many recyclers are unwilling to got the trouble and cost to do “what they are paid to do.” Thus they dispose of them irresponsibly, trying to cut corners. I think that the best place for the problem of E-Waste to be headed off is at the design level. While business has its place, we should not be accepting of principles like designed obsolescence. We should be trying to designing products that don’t intentionally creates waste, but instead do the opposite, making products that are easily recycled like the Hermon miller aeron chair. Where does our e-waste eventually end up? The video includes an e-waste collection point in Denver, Colorado, run by Executive Recycling. The route the e-waste took after being collected was far from the “responsible” “eco-friendly” and “efficient” was the recycler advertised. The reporters followed the recycling as it was being taken away. It ended up being loaded into a container that was then shipped to Guiyu, China. Once it reached china, it was being illegally disposed of! Men Women and children lived amongst the piled trash, burning it, crushing it, and dumping it throughout china.  The environmental effects of this type of “recycling” is unimaginable.  Guiyu, China had been exposed to unimaginable toxins by doing this. They had high rates of cancer, birth defects, and death. After this 60 Minutes special aired, there was an investigation started concerning the US recycling company. The result was that the Executive Recycling Company Owner And Executives Sentenced For Fraud And International Environmental Crimes. This video focused on the multi headed beast of the recycling problem. We have a problem in developed nations of consuming products that are quickly discarded. There is a problem of designer, engineers, and business men trying to create products with little regard for what happens to their product after they sell it. We have a problem of recyclers in the US thinking that they can cut corners to meet their bottom line. There are nations and businesses in other nations willing to pollute their own land and kill their own people to make a quick buck that will end up costing them far more than money. This vicious cycle is going to have to end, and we all have a responsibility to make sure that It does. I am left with many questions after the video: how many other recyclers in the US are corrupt? Is my local recycler responsible in their practices? How can I make sure my products are actually being recycled? What can I do to fix the problem as an industrial designer?

blog post 11 - Dimensional Innovations

Dimensional Innovations:

Dimensional Innovation is a business that "liberates people from mediocre experiences". They are one of the few places in Kansas City that I have seen that fosters a large design office that fosters what I would call a creative firm space. They have a hired design staff of around 200 graphic designers, industrial designers, engineers, geeks, freaks, and fabricators. They proudly state that they are an Idea Factory with an actual factory! They have almost of all their fabrication and design teams in-house so they don't have to outsource for much at all! I find this model of business very interesting. I wonder how they do that with keeping specialized equipment in house.  Often business outsources because they do not want to buy the highly specialized equipment required. Good for DI! I has to be awesome as a designer to take a concept and then be able to have the manufacturing of it happen right next to you for you watch and have to have input. I think this model would lead to better products and services because there would be workflow among the process. We got to see a clients project underway, the building of new interior elements for AMC fork and screen. Dimensional Innovations was doing everything from lighting to signage to even seating. DI works for many different clients, commercial interiors, assisting artists in building installations, designing new medical equipment, to developing a businesses brand and identity. The materials they are working with include vinyl, plastic, metals, and wood. For processes they used cnc cutting, laser, standard woodworking equipment, welding, and a variety of manual and digital metal bending equipment. They created the AMC signage using a CNC Automated Channel Letter Signs Bending Machine by Ez Bender. The machines function is to quickly fabricate channel letters. They machine uses hydraulic dies and cutters for notching, making flanges, bending and cutting. They said It can work Aluminum, Stainless Steel and Galvanized Steel, but that they almost always use aluminum because it can create a easier relief flange that holds the plastic in the best letter frame. The software they used to program the machine seemed pretty easy as it used a graphic interface where you drew the shape you wanted to bend. The part of Dimensional Innovations was their innovations lab! They has a KU grad working there which was cool to see. He gave us a tour of the projects he was working on. They were designing some very unique products, like a Kickstarter project for a purse dongle that reads text messages. They were also creating unique fashion clothing that glowed with LED light when noise in the room increased. I really enjoyed this tour and could see myself working here in the future. 

BLOG POST 9:

MANUFACTUING PROCESSES FOR DESIGN PROFESSIONALS – by Rob Thompson

Assignment was to read the Materials section on Metals from the textbook, Pages 448 – 457, and post a  definition for the set of terminology given by instructor.

·         ------A note on the textbook, sometimes I gripe about having to buy textbooks…but this one is seriously worth it! A great book that’s an encyclopedia for materials and processes. The individual sections are very easy to read and yet give really in depth information. I have a feeling that this book will be a great resource to have going forward!

Ferrous Metals: Metals that contain iron. Example: steel

Non Ferrous Metals: Metals that do not contain iron. Example: copper alloys

Alloy: Hybrids of different metallic elements combined to enhance properties and reduce cost.

Iron: heavy and soft material that is relatively easy to form hot or cold.

Steel: High carbon content produces a harder, less ductile and more brittle material. Mild steel is a term that covers a range of carbon steels, up to .25% carbon content. They are easy to use for solid state forming and welding. Carbon steels are prone to oxidation and corrosion. Low carbon steels are relatively ductile, malleable and easy to shape. Medium carbon steels have levels of carbon and alloys that are ideal for hardening by heat treatment.

Aluminum Alloys: lightweight and conductive metal that is non-toxic and does not affect the taste of food or drink. It is used in a range of decorative and functional applications.

Magnesium Alloys: Have better strength to weight that aluminum but are more expensive. Suitable for: die casting, super forming, and anodizing, less reflective and conductive than aluminum, and more prone to corrosion.

Titanium Alloys: are an expensive alternative to aluminum and magnesium, so are limited to applications that demand high strength to weight and superior corrosion resistance.

Zinc Alloys: have high resistance to corrosion. A great deal of zinc production is for galvanizing steel.

Copper Alloys: ductile, have a low melting point and are easy to form. Copper develops a protective and decorative patina on its surface which changes color over time.

Nickel Alloys: bright metal and has very good resistance to oxidation and corrosion. Used mainly for electroforming, electroplating and as an alloy in stainless steel.

Lead and Tin Alloys: soft metals that are suitable for casting, they are sometimes referred to as white metals. They have low melting points and a low viscosity when molten.

Precious Metals: rare and expansive, precious metals have exceptional resistance to corrosion. They are very efficient thermal and electrical conductors and are also non-toxic. Silver is bright and highly reflective, but the surface oxides readily so it needs to be frequently polished, it is a very efficient conductor. Gold is a very soft, malleable and ductile material. Platinum is hard, durable and ductile and is resistant to corrosion by abrasion, oxygen and many chemicals. Platinum is a very good conductor and catalyst.

WHAT INFLUENCES PRODUCT DESIGN: The universe and its five different worlds of influence. This was a most interesting chapter of our INDD 378 text book called “Materials and Design” by Ashby and Johnson. Chapter 2 moved past the discussion of how materials and design relate (chp 1) to discussing what influences product design. The authors make a distinction early on that there are different types of influence, direct influence and indirect influences. A major point at the chapter developed throughout was the need to meet present  day markets and their unique complexities by designers in product design. The authors divide the areas they think are of important consideration into separate worlds of relationships and variables. They list five worlds that include people and the market, science and technology, sustainability and the environment, economics and investment, and the world of aesthetic. The first world of people and the market are dependent on how developed the economy is…developed countries vs non-developed countries. In a developed country, like the US, many products directly affected by the market, saturating them in the process, this means that it becomes a "want" instead of a "need.” This shifts the focus of industrial designers, shifting the focus of structural materials towards materials make the product attractive. The author notes that trends, desires, and products do trickle down from developed nations to their undeveloped counterparts. I think one aspect we especially see this is in the tech area. You will found laptops and cellphones in some of the least developed areas of the world. The focus for Designing products does take a different approach with different parameters when working in non-developed nations. I found the authors division of the aspects affecting product design to be relatable and understandle. They made compelling points about each world from economics to aesthestic, and then tied them together back to full universe of products for the chapters conclusion.

There were some great diagrams throughout this chapter. We talked about one in class and May drew it on the baord. This is that Great Infographic for the inputs in the design Process:  (I want to get a poster of this printed!)

CH. 1 Materials and Design

For my materials and processes class we are reading a book called "Materials and Design." I was assigned to read chapter 1 and then post a response. Chapter 1 is called “introduction” and the chapter aptly starts with an introduction to the authors, Michael F. Ashby and Kara Johnson.  It also introduces the main topics as they pertain to materials and design. It discusses how materials create two basic principles: providing technical functionality and creating product personality. Following that, it talks about how product designers attempt to blend the technical and aesthetic traits of products, and they drive to make products that are sustainable and lovable- because that is what people are looking for.The chapter then goes on to say how experimenting with materials is a must, and that industrial designers often times do not have access to a database on materials like some technical designers to. A main concept of rising up from the industrial society pushed through by consumerism to one that has both admiration and respect for materials and efficiency is the goal for today. (Never mind the recycling aspect) Development in materials and the processes we can use on them are starting points on the products of tomorrow, and the materials can become a cornerstone of the product itself.

Zahner Field Trip

Zahner is a Fabrication company that specializes in metal to be applied to art and architecture. They are an internationally known company that has done work for the likes of Frank Gerry. They have made some of Kansas City's most well known sculptures and buildings, such as the Bartle Sky Stattions, and more recently, the Kauffman performing arts center. But they also work on projects from around the world, from Brazil to china. Zahner’s mission is “To surpass the expectations of our clients by expanding the boundaries of high quality metal and glass used in art and architecture. Zahner will push the levels of technology while providing a worthwhile, challenging and safe environment for our present and future employees and associates.” Their self proclaimed history; “Zahner has been engineering and producing advanced sheet metal surfaces for over 116 years. Andrew Zahner, great grandfather of current CEO/President L. William Zahner, ran a small business called Eagle Cornice Works in Joplin, Missouri in the late 1800′s. He provided custom architectural metal cornices to many of the surrounding towns in southern Missouri and Eastern Kansas. In 1897, Andrew Zahner uprooted his business and moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where he founded the A. Zahner Company.”

 A huge part of their business is the creation of software. They sell software to companies to design complex forms and architectural elements. Their business model is that these companies often turn to Zahner to then build what they design in their software. ZEPPS, ZIRA, and Tesselate are other unique software they offer. Their patented ZIRA software enables artists and architects to automatically translate an image, graphic, or design to metal, using imagery of their choosing onto a metal surface of any size using any combination of selective embossing, cutting, or perforation of the metal. Zahner will even make custom dies and punches for their clients. Their ZEPPS software allows clients to design complex facades with a smooth profile. Zahner is then able to take the profile and translate into a series of constructible planes, each panel aligning with the next panel on the same plane, so that the total effect is smooth form. I found this business model to be very clever. Zahner primarily works with all types of natural metal.  However, they have experimented with many different materials.  For their cutting process they didn’t use laser cutting, but used a water press instead.  They said this process prevents the laser’s heat from altering the edges of a piece.