Matching Items (2)
Filtering by
Description
Three dimensional printing is a growing field and an excellent medium for rapid prototyping. Its expansion has accelerated over recent years due to the increased affordability of the technology. It is now at the point where the startup cost to get into the field is down to the hobbyist price point. This means that there is an extremely high demand for affordable printing media. Current media such as ABS and PLA is extremely easy to form, but expensive and petroleum intensive to create. A recycling system that could work with a large variety of waste products could change the way that the maker community recycles. This Honors Thesis, or "Creative Project" will be centered on the product launch of small business 3DCycler. Although this launch will require pulling information and skills from various branches of both Business and Science, the scope of this project will be limited to specifically the market entrance of our small business/ product. Within this blanket goal, the project aims to define our target market/ its niche(s), develop proper IP/ lockout strategies, define future manufacturing strategies, and to fully define our beta product. The research was empirical in nature. Through data gathering techniques (e.g., consultations, interviews, survey), exploration was performed. Through these techniques the company 3DCycler took several calculated pivots in order to prepare the company for a strategic product launch and eventual acquisition.
ContributorsFarber-Schaefer, Blaine (Author) / Cho, Steve (Thesis director) / Goodman, Tom (Committee member) / Engineering Programs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
In Professor Meng Tao and Wen-His Huang's paper's [1,2] the recycling process to create a sustainable Photovoltaic (PV) industry is laid out. The process utilized to recycle the materials requires the use of three semi-problematic chemicals including: Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH), Nitric Acid (HNO3), and Hydrofluoric Acid (HF). By utilizing a combination of reverse osmosis filtration, pre-lime treatment, neutralization by combination, and mineral specific filtering the chemicals can either by recycled as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standardized waste water or profitable byproducts such as Sodium Nitrate (NaNO3). For the recycling of hydrofluoric acid, a combination of pre-lime coagulation, microfiltration and a spiral wound reverse osmosis (RO) system, less than 1mg/L in line with national standards for human consumption. The sodium hydroxide and nitric acid recycling process handles more contaminants that just the byproduct of the chemicals and manages this through a combination of multi-stage flash/vapor distillation along with a reverse osmosis filtration system. By utilizing both systems of recycling, a completely closed loop system for recycling silicon solar cells is laid out and creates a new standard for clean energy management.
ContributorsHaft, Brock Todd (Author) / Tao, Meng (Thesis director) / Augusto, Andre (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12