The global production of plastics has been consistently rising since the 1960s, it is estimated to double within the next twenty years. Simply put, plastics have become an essential material across various industries. Advancement in plastics production has led to the creation of high-performance composites able to infiltrate applications that were once reserved for metals. Uses of plastics in automotive components, specifically, helped the industry realize reliable and economically feasible products; while satisfying the industry’s rigorous quality and safety standards. Engineering plastics are nothing short of indispensable to many innovative businesses that seek miniaturization and weight saving. However, the current method of producing, using and consuming plastics result in millions of tons ending up in the oceans yearly. Less than 30% of plastic waste generated in Europe is collected for recycling, while the prevalent plastics disposal systems remain antiquated at best. Circular Economy (CE) tackles the paradigm of tightening the material consumption loop. Remanufacturing, in particular, offers a unique standpoint in capturing the benefits of a circular economy. The European remanufacturing of automotive components is well established; products as starters and alternators reach a remanufacturing market share of approximately 80%, representing the most thriving segment of the EU remanufacturing market. The scope of this work is to investigate the possibility of recycling post-consumer glass-fibre reinforced polymers (GFRP) from automotive waste into feedstock powder suitable for powder-based additive manufacturing, specifically selective laser sintering (SLS). Additive manufacturing has the capacity to radically change the well-defined production systems, particularly with the transition from rapid prototyping to rapid manufacturing. Infiltration into new fields of applications by additive manufacturing is hindered by the limited availability of suitable feedstock material, and in the case of SLS expensive powder. Experimental investigations were performed on the comminution of nylon66 and glass-fibre reinforced nylon66 to reach target size (20 – 120μm) free flowing powder with favourable shape characteristics under ambient conditions. This study provides an analysis of factors affecting the technical feasibility of producing SLS suitable powder by mechanical comminution, and an economic study of viable path for new recycled SLS material production for industrial adoption.
La produzione mondiale di plastica è aumentata considerevolmente dagli anni ’60, e si stima che raddoppierà nei prossimi venti anni. Molto semplicemente, le plastiche sono diventate un materiale fondamentale in molte industrie. Lo sviluppo tecnologico riguardo la produzione di plastica ha portato alla creazione di materiali compositi che si sono insediati in campi applicativi un tempo riservati ai metalli. In particolare, l’utilizzo di plastiche in componenti automotive, permette alle aziende di realizzare prodotti economici ed affidabili; soddisfando i rigorosi standard qualitativi e di sicurezza imposti. Le plastiche ingegneristiche sono ormai indispensabili a molti mercati innovativi che si basano sulla miniaturizzazione e sulla riduzione del peso dei prodotti. Ciò nonostante, l’attuale metodo di produzione, utilizzo e consumo delle plastiche comporta milioni di tonnellate annue di rifiuti buttati, anche negli oceani. Meno del 30% di rifiuti plastici creato in Europa viene raccolto per il riciclo e le strategie di gestione delle plastiche a fine vita rimangono antiquate. L’economia circolare (CE) abbraccia il paradigma di ridurre il ciclo di consumo dei materiali. Il remanufacturing, in articolare, offre una visione unica nel catturare i benefici del paradigma di economia circolare. Il business europeo legato al remanufacturing di componenti automotive è ben avviato. Prodotti come starter e alternatori raggiungono una quota di mercato approssimativamente dell’80% del totale remanufacturing europeo. Lo scopo di questo lavoro è quello di analizzare la possibilità di riciclare materiali compositi polimerici rinforzati alla fibra di vetro (GFRP) da scarti automotive ad ottenere polvere feedstock adatta per applicazioni di stampa 3D, in particolare per il selective laser sintering (SLS). Il manifatturiero additivo ha la potenzialità di cambiare radicalmente i sistemi produttivi oggi consolidati, in particolare attraverso la transizione da prototipazione rapida a produzione rapida. L’ingresso del manifatturiero additivo (soprattutto SLS) in nuovi campi applicativi, però, è rallentato dalla limitata disponibilità di materia prima economica. In questo contesto, analisi sperimentali sono state condotte riguardo la frantumazione di prodotti plastici e compositi (nylon66 e GFRP a matrice nylon66) con l’obiettivo di raggiungere polvere fluente a granulometria 20 – 120μm e caratteristiche di forma favorevoli. Questo studio riporta un’analisi dei fattori che influiscono sulla possibilità di produrre polvere per SLS attraverso riduzione meccanica, e uno studio economico riguardo un possibile scenario di produzione polvere SLS riciclata in ambito industriale.
Experimental analysis of the re-usability of post-use GFRP automotive components with a closed-loop circular approach
HEIBA, KARIM HUSSEIN MOSTAFA MOHAMED;ABDELHALIM ABDALLA, ABDELRAHMAN HESHAM MOHAMED
2018/2019
Abstract
The global production of plastics has been consistently rising since the 1960s, it is estimated to double within the next twenty years. Simply put, plastics have become an essential material across various industries. Advancement in plastics production has led to the creation of high-performance composites able to infiltrate applications that were once reserved for metals. Uses of plastics in automotive components, specifically, helped the industry realize reliable and economically feasible products; while satisfying the industry’s rigorous quality and safety standards. Engineering plastics are nothing short of indispensable to many innovative businesses that seek miniaturization and weight saving. However, the current method of producing, using and consuming plastics result in millions of tons ending up in the oceans yearly. Less than 30% of plastic waste generated in Europe is collected for recycling, while the prevalent plastics disposal systems remain antiquated at best. Circular Economy (CE) tackles the paradigm of tightening the material consumption loop. Remanufacturing, in particular, offers a unique standpoint in capturing the benefits of a circular economy. The European remanufacturing of automotive components is well established; products as starters and alternators reach a remanufacturing market share of approximately 80%, representing the most thriving segment of the EU remanufacturing market. The scope of this work is to investigate the possibility of recycling post-consumer glass-fibre reinforced polymers (GFRP) from automotive waste into feedstock powder suitable for powder-based additive manufacturing, specifically selective laser sintering (SLS). Additive manufacturing has the capacity to radically change the well-defined production systems, particularly with the transition from rapid prototyping to rapid manufacturing. Infiltration into new fields of applications by additive manufacturing is hindered by the limited availability of suitable feedstock material, and in the case of SLS expensive powder. Experimental investigations were performed on the comminution of nylon66 and glass-fibre reinforced nylon66 to reach target size (20 – 120μm) free flowing powder with favourable shape characteristics under ambient conditions. This study provides an analysis of factors affecting the technical feasibility of producing SLS suitable powder by mechanical comminution, and an economic study of viable path for new recycled SLS material production for industrial adoption.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/146635