Project Logs

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• Jason Knight • 10/23/2022 at 13:32 • 0 comments

  To make sure people are able to not only survive but thrive, from making decks, we have prepared a business kit. The kit includes a business plan, business model and financial calculations. These documents are provided in an editable format, with red text identifying where you need to fill in your own information.
  

  We crunched the numbers and figured out the economic viability of making a living from recycled plastic skateboard deck production. These numbers are based on a 2-month trial production run. You can make 4 in an 8-hour work day, and 32 in a normal work week, with one day for other tasks, (posting, cleaning, maintenance etc). (This is with one mould and one extruder), if you have two moulds per extruder theoretically you can make 6 + decks per day.
  
  You can download the kit here or find it in our project files section. 
  
  

• Next Steps: Phase 4 Plan (You can help!)

  Jason Knight • 10/22/2022 at 16:19 • 0 comments

  Our next steps following the completion of phase 3 are:
  

  • Pilot projects: Implementing the newly designed system in real-world contexts.
  • Events: Demonstrations at festivals, educational institutions, sports events etc.
  • Media creation: Publishing skate videos, pictures and any other medium suitable to showcase the decks and system. 
  • Research: Open-source research to further develop the production system, its useability & surrounding technologies. E.g. trial production and material and technique experimentation.

  A part of this will be developing the next iteration of our mould, following the public feedback cycle. (One of the many things that make open source great 😉 )  We are collecting feedback from people who are currently replicating, and soon to be using, our system. After the frequency of the feedback slows down, we will harvest and compile everything into a second iteration of the mould, this is where you can help!
  
  If you are planning to replicate our mould, here are our identified areas of improvement based on our own six months of testing, this list can act as a foundation for anyone who wants to make their own  iteration of  our system:
  

  • Add a cooling system
  • Include threads in the drawing
  • Thicker release nuts & laser cut removable release nut protection "pucks" to protect aluminium
  • 30mm deep bolt holes on the top aluminium block
  • Hinges on the electronic box
  • Clean all leftover dimensions in parts
  • Threads BSP nozzle in CAD
  • Welds in drawings
  • Guide rails for lowering the top face
  • Variable chamfer on the middle aluminium block that follows the deck profile
  • Add part numbers to BOM
  • Building step by step pictures
  • Safety data sheet
  • Maintenance list
  • Building flowchart
  • Entry and exit tap
  • 4 Bolts to join the bottom plate to mould the aluminium edge, for rigidity
  • Two rows on end plates for rigidity
  • M5 grub screws in truck holes
  • Make entry and exit holes threadable M8 Grub Screw
  • Make table legs further apart (Outside of the bottom support structure?)
    
    You can send us your feedback here, we can't wait to see what you all come up with!

  Sharing our posts and spreading the word about our project opens a lot of doors for us! We are also very keen to hear about any collaborations or opportunities you guys see!

• How to Use our Manufacturing system to make 100% Recycled Plastic Skateboard decks (+ Pro Skater Deck Demo)

  Jason Knight • 10/20/2022 at 15:22 • 0 comments

  In our earlier project logs, we showed you how to build or mould. In this project log, we are going to share with you lots of intricate details about how to use it, to make 100% Recycled Plastic Skateboard decks.

  To do so we have produced a 30 min tutorial video, which of course, is also open source, so that it can be used as a piece of educational media, so that when people replicate our mould, or when people are being taught how to use the system during educational participatory workshops, the video can be shown to them. It has been written with the intention that once it has been watched, the viewer knows everything that they need to know to be able to use our system to make 100% Recycled Plastic Skateboard Decks.
  
  A transcript of the video has also been uploaded here to expand the accessibility, to those who simply prefer to read it step by step, or in parallel with the video, for people who have health conditions that prevent them from following the video, and for people who do not understand spoken English (enabling them to read it or translate it). 

  Our next steps for both this video, our last “How to Build A Mould” video, and our website, are to provide translation making it available in the six UN languages; Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish.

  Before making the deck, a making plan, in the format of a video script was written, to thoroughly think through and plan each step before going ahead:
  
  

  Dialogue	Shot Type	Folder Status
  1. Intro
  Hey everyone!	White Wall Mould, skateboards and extruder out in front of me *Angle 1	1
  This video is for the 2022 Hackaday Prize, a big shout out to Digi-Key and Supplyframe, for making the challenge happen.	Logo on screen *Angle 1	1
  The theme of the challenge: Reuse, Recycle, Revamp	Hackaday Backdrop *Angle 1
  It is all about tailoring a project to make use of existing resources and keeping material out of the landfill rather than contributing to it.	Plastic / Landfill *Angle 1	1
  Our chosen resource to focus on is plastic waste.	Plastic / Landfill *Angle 1	1
  I'm not going to spend too long talking about the scale of the plastic waste problem, everyone knows by now it's a big problem, if you want to know exactly how bad you can read in our project profile (Its alot) link in video description	Lots of plastic, drone, zoom out *Angle 1	1
  Our solution is a manufacturing system that allows people to make skateboard decks from recycled plastic. The most unique part of our system is the mould as previously it did not exist, and has been the focus of our development.	Wide shot of system *Angle 1 Wide Shot of mould,  Plain background *Angle 2	1
  We are working to dissolve the economic, technical and social barriers that prevent people from getting recycled plastic products into the world.	Build footage from Mould video	1
  In its essence our project is all about increasing accessibility to recycling equipment and hence enabling more people to recycle, and hit the street!	Wide shot of using mould *Angle 1 Skating	1
  In our last video we showed you how to build our mould, all the information you need to build it is online for free,	Build footage from Mould	1
  In this video we are going to share lots of details about how to use it to make 100% recycled plastic skateboard decks.	Close up Clip from this video	1
  2. Make A Deck
  Intro
  You are going to need:	Extruder shot, white background	2.1
  An extrusion machine (also open source, link in description)		2.1
  Some tools: o   Four small cold chisels o   Four big cold chisels (25mm diameter or bigger) o   A ½ inch socket wrench o   a 30mm socket, and one or two long ones if you      have them available  o   An Impact Driver o   A ½ Impact driver adapter o   A drill o   M4 Drill Bit o   M10 Drill Bit o   Large Adjustable Wrench  o   Pliers o   Set of chisel o   Set of Flat Head Screwdrivers o   Car Upholstery Remover Tools o   Spatulas	Top...

  Read more »

• RPSD Extruder

  Jason Knight • 08/24/2022 at 20:29 • 0 comments

  To make recycled plastic skateboard decks, you need an extrusion machine. It melts the plastic into a liquid and fills the mould by pushing the molten plastic out of a barrel using a motorized screw.

  
  There are many variations of the extrusion machine out there but none were perfect for our needs, so we set out to design one that fits, as a set, with out mould, to complete the production system. What differentiates ours is that it has an adjustable height, wheels, and lean profile (700mm wide) making it practical for events, demonstrations or simply moving around the workshop. The adjustable height allows it to be used for a broader range of applications that require a low or high profile, or for interactions that involve children and shorter people.
  
  

  
  Like all our work, this machine is fully open source and online now, you can find the download kit  📦 HERE 📦
  

  
  This kit includes all the information you need to build your own extruder.

  
  The extruder features an extrusion barrel designed by Ateliers des recycleurs fous. It is from their model “C4-PO”. More information, such as how to build it, can be found here:
  

  atelierdesrecycleursfous.fr/extrudeuse

  Special kitos (Thanks) to Caracara Collective for the many kinds of support given during this phase of the build.
  

  
  

  Electronics Schematic

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  RPSD-EXT Technical Data
  

  
  

  General
  Model	RPSD-EXT
  Version	1.0
  Type	Extrusion
  Year	2022
  Dimensions (length x width x height)	1400 x 700 x 500 min 1400 max
  Mass	200 kg
  Total Power	5 kw
  Total Amps	12 A
  Heating
  Power supply	Three-phase electric - 380V
  Heating element type	Band Heater / Collar
  Number of heating elements	6
  Heating power	2 kW
  Operating temperature	0 to 250 °C
  Motor
  KW	3.3 kw
  Amps	137 Nm
  RPM	187
  User Process
  Materials processed	Soft plastic, Hard plastic
  Filling Method	Extrusion
  Construction
  Construction materials	Steel Frame
  Material Cost (EU)	7500 Euro
  Manufacturing time	± 5 Days
  Workforce	1 Person
  Difficulty	★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
  Connections
  Electrical	Three phase plug socket 16 A
  Pneumatic	Compressed air for cleaning

• Mould Technical Data

  Jason Knight • 05/29/2022 at 14:07 • 0 comments

  Mould Technical Data

  
  

  General

  Model: RPSDMV3

  Version: 3.0

  Type: Extrusion

  Year: 2021

  Dimensions (l x w x h): 1100 x 700 x 500 min 1300 max

  Mass: 285 kg 

  Heating

  Power supply: Three-phase electric - 380V

  Heating element type: Cartridge Heater

  Number of heating elements: 64

  Heating power: 10600 W

  Operating temperature: 0 to 250 °C

  
  

  User Process

  Materials processed: Soft plastic, Hard plastic

  Filling Method: Extrusion

  
  

  Construction

  Construction materials: Steel Frame, Aluminum Body

  Material Cost (EU): 7500 Euro

  Manufacturing time : ± 5 Days

  Workforce: 1 Person

  Difficulty ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

  
  

  Connections

  Electrical: Three phase plug socket 16 A

  Pneumatic: Compressed air for cleaning 

• Deck Pattern Variations 1

  Jason Knight • 05/29/2022 at 14:01 • 0 comments

• Pictures of final Mould

  Jason Knight • 05/29/2022 at 13:42 • 0 comments

• Final Build

  Jason Knight • 05/29/2022 at 13:39 • 0 comments

  The final build is summarised in our "How-to" Build video.

  
  

• Build Plan

  Jason Knight • 05/29/2022 at 13:35 • 0 comments

  Before building the mould, a building plan, in the format of a video script was written, to thoroughly think through and plan each step before going ahead.
  
  
  

  Dialogue	Shot Type	📁
  1. Intro
  Hey everyone!	White Wall Mould, skateboards and extruder out in front of me	1
  In this video I am going to show you how to build a mould which you can use to make skateboard decks from 100% recycled plastic!  The mould is open source, which means you can download all of the CAD files, Bill of materials, electronics diagrams + everything else you need to make it yourself for free.
  They are made using an extrusion machine, like this one which is also open source!
  So you can also build one or buy one yourself!
  Check out the links in the description!
  2. Breakdown
  So the entire mould can be broken down into three parts, the mould itself, the table and the electronics box.	White Wall Mould out in front of me.	2
  3. Mould
  The mould itself is made up of four main parts,  A top and a bottom plate An edge structure A two part a support structure And a set of fasteners hold it all together	White Wall Mould sections on table in front of me	3.1
  Top and Bottom Plates
  First you're going to make the top and bottom plates.	White Wall Mould sections on table in front of me Point at top and bottom.	3.2
  You are going to need: ○    CNC Cut Aluminum Blocks Which form the top and bottom faces of the decks   ○         0.5mm Stainless Steel Washer Plates ○         10mm Laser Cut Steel Sheets ○         M5 x 10mm Dowel Pins x8 ○         M10 x 16mm Countersunk Bolts x10 ○         M10 x 30mm Countersunk Bolts x10 ○         M20 Thin Nuts x 8 ○         Heat Resistant Paint x2 ○         Safety Stickers x8	Jump between wide and Close up pointing at separate parts	3.2
  First take the laser cut steel back plates. You will need to countersink all the M10 holes so that the head of the bolt lays below the surface.	Pillar drill perspective shots	3.2
  On the same side you can also use the countersink to put a slight chamfer on the M20 holes to guide the bolts into place when using the mould for production. On the top plate the chamfer is on the same side as the M10 holes and on the bottom plate it is on the opposite side.	Pillar drill perspective shots	3.2
  Insert the flat nuts into the hexagon cutouts, weld them in place then grind them flat.	Welding perspective shots Grinding perspective shots	3.2
  Clean the metal with degreaser and apply a layer of heat proof paint to the plates.	Painting perspective shots	3.2
  Use a countersink to remove the paint in the countersunk part of the M10 holes. This is for electrical grounding and ensures that the top and bottom plates are connected to the aluminium.	Close up	3.2
  Next you need to bolt the aluminium surfaces to the back plates, note that they have an orientation (The nose and the tail are different heights) so make sure to measure them carefully and align them with the arrows.	Bench Measure with calipers Check drawing	3.2
  The top plate has a layer of stainless steel washer plates between the aluminium surface and the steel plate. This allows you to adjust the thickness of the deck by adding and removing them. They are stainless steel because you can't paint them to keep the thickness even, and they would rust if they were normal steel.	Bench Show washers fanned out	3.2
  You may need to change the bolt size if you want to adjust the thickness of the deck but by default it is 30mm on the top and 16mm on the bottom.	Bench Show bolts	3.2
  Next you can insert the dowel pins into the holes in the base plate. These are to mark where you need to drill the truck holes.	Bolting in place montage	3.2
  Finally stick the safety stickers between the handles.	Close-up	3.2
  Next you're going to make the edge of the mould.	White Wall Finished...

  Read more »

• Design Decisions: V3 Prototype 1

  Jason Knight • 05/29/2022 at 13:28 • 0 comments

  RPSDM V3 Design Decisions
  

  PRE-BUILD CAD WALKTHROUGH VIDEO. (Video does not represent the final version as some changes were made.)

  Design Decisions
  

  • Colour Code Fasteners
  • Passive
  • Interactive (neon)
  • NATO green paint (Available everywhere in the world)
  • Deck Strength
  • Thicker nose and tail
  • Thicker in the middle (T Beam)
  • Steep concave (Pipe)
  • Thick patch on nose and tail curve up (Prevents wearing)
  • Springs to allow nozzles to move slightly when coupling with the nozzle plate
  • Hold thermocouple 
  • Nut welded in the beam
  • Differentiate nose/tail
  • Arrow on a horizontal plate
  • Change Deck Thickness 
  • ‘Washer” Plates 
  • Attach to Extruder
  • Quick Release: Big Laser cut handle welded to the nut
  • Find the right plumbing head: Swivel connector
  • Open Mould 
  • Nuts on top and bottom plate for “Release Bolts”
  • Enough gap between the side frame and horizontal plate to fit in the crowbar
  • Heat Mould 
  • Cartridge heaters (380, 16A) in holes downside of “Deck Edge”
  • Fit aluminium sections in
  • Fillet inside gradual
  • 0.2mm contour between deck top/bottom face and deck edge (Check V4 file) 
  • Slow to bolt mould together
  • Drill with a long socket
  • Countersink holes on steel plate
  • Mark Holes For Trucks
  • 5mm Dowel inserts in the mould
  • Stop Mould Bend
  • C beams (Out)
  • 80x40 frame on top (C Beams top also??) Then all C Beams

  Part Numbers Template 

  before the dot is only for assemblies, assemblies always end in .00

  X000.00 - in this case, X is for upper-level assemblies

  0X00.00 - in this case X is for sub-assemblies

  00X0.00 - in this case X is for sub-assemblies and so on

  0000.xx After the dot is the part number

  EXTPRO-V1 0000.00

  EXTPRO-	V1		0	0	0	0	.	0	0
  Machine Name	V#		Part	Assembly	Sub Assembly				Part
  RPSDM-	V3		-Deck -Mould -Electronics Enclosure  -Table	-Mould Top -Mould  Bottom	-Mold Top  Support Frame				Bolt Beam

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