Future
Ultimately, we created a concept, not a product. Although this matches with the scope of the course, we were interested in looking a little further into the future. Right now, we have a concept, but what future steps and changes do we foresee if this concept for a specific user were to become a mass-produced product? This is a very broad question, so we decided to limit ourselves to potential changes in line with sustainability, because that is one of the major values/requirements that the case owner has.
10 R-Strategies of the Circular Economy
Sustainability is a very broad topic that can be applied in many ways in design. Ultimately, it is about working towards a circular economy in which waste is minimized, and products and materials are reused and repurposed as much as possible. To achieve this, there are 10 R-Strategies that should be followed:
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R0 – Refuse
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R1 – Rethink
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R2 – Reduce
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R3 – Reuse
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R4 – Repair
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R5 – Refurbish
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R6 – Remanufacture
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R7 – Repurpose
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R8 – Recycle
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R9 – Recover
The higher (R0 = highest, R9 = lowest) the R-Strategy, the more aligned with circular economy it is and the earlier it should be applied in the product life cycle. We looked further into what each strategy means, as well as design guidelines on how to apply them. Then, we considered how we can apply them for our own product.
For the full research in to the 10 R-Strategies, click the following link:
Implementation of R-Strategies
The table below shows our consideration regarding the implementation of each R-Strategy for our product. Because of time, we do stay quite surface level, but the considerations are there.
The first R, refuse, focuses on that what part of the product can be taken out so that there is less waste while keeping its original function.
When thinking critically, we could say we refuse our entire product. Laptops exist already. As for the problem our laptop tries to solve, laptopstands and separate keyboards also exist already. However, in terms of integration and easy portability, we do think our product can have actual value on the market. Therefore, we considered other ways in which we can apply the R0 strategy.
We can think of applying the strategy by trying to get fewer components, so less material is being used. The existing laptop parts have gone through so much testing that we assume it will not change. For our product, the laptop has a different type/extra hinge with its casing. This means new, extra materials are being used. So, in our case, the best things for future improvements is to reduce the material waste by using minimal components and avoiding excess plastic. Furthermore, when considering production, we could potentially refuse certain practices that do not align with the circular economy.
The second R focuses on rethinking the design, and then making changes or adding parts to the product so that it can last longer or be used more intensively. In our case, the hinge and its casing are the change to the conventional laptop. For it to be used more in the future, designing a modular hinge system that can be taken apart and interchanged could be valuable.
For the third R strategy, meaning reduce, the goal is to search for a way to reduce the resources used in production, so it lowers the environmental impact and energy consumption. For the laptop chassis and casing of the hinge, using aluminium or bio-based plastics are options that make the product recyclable. This leads to eventually cutting down on the new resources that are being used.
Another way to reduce is to use less material in general. Our concept already has cavities for heat dissipation. These cavities could perhaps be optimized in such a way that the structural integrity of the laptop stays strong, whilst minizine the amount of material used.
For the fourth R, its purpose is to find what parts of the product can be used again in their original form. For the laptop, there are several already existing parts that can be reused, like the LEDs, magnets, etc. However, our hinge system is new, so this part has not been looked at. The hinge could be detachable and swappable, thereby allowing it to be reused across multiple laptops over its lifetime.
At the moment, having the hinge being a part of the laptop body requires the whole laptop to be remade. This is not very sustainable, for it implies that the user needs to get rid of their old laptop in order to use ours. So, making the hinge fit universally on laptops would stop the user from having to throw away their old laptop. For this to work, there are some parts that need to be designed for. At the moment, different laptops have different amounts and types of hinges. Looking at the general laptop, they either have one big hinge in the middle or two smaller hinges close to the sides of the screen. With most Apple products having one big hinge and generally Windows products having 2 smaller hinges.
As our hinge system uses 2 hinges, reusing this would be an easier task, though there still would be things to consider. The wiring that goes from the keyboard to the screen of the laptop has to get longer, or there needs to be attachments where the user can easily connect these wires back to the screen.
The bottom of the laptop has some extra length to hide the hinges when closed, so it has been though for in our case. When the hinge system is closed on a different laptop, the hinges will bulge outwards and may cause inconvenience while carrying or when fitting it in a laptop bag. The hinge will also need to support the weight of the laptop screen, so the base of the hinge needs to be sturdy as there is not any extra support on the back of the laptop as seen in the image below.
With the purpose of the product being helping people with their posture, the product can reach the most of the public by enabling them to keep their own laptop. This will mean that the lifetime of the product is dependent on the laptop and not the hinge.
For the fifth R, the goal is to make the product as easy to fix as possible, so when one part breaks, it is the only part that needs to be changed. Having the product being modular helps the consumer with not having to get a new laptop and the environment with less new product being used. So for the hinge system, having it be modular allows for easier repair.
Furthermore, when considering repair, we should also consider assembly and disassembly. It should be easy to remove and attach the modular hinges. This could perhaps be achieved through using simple, standardized connections. Not only should this be applied for the hinges, but ideally for every part of the laptop (or at least the ones that are most likely to need repairs in their lifetime).
The sixth R focuses on trying to refurbishing old products to the point it can be used as brand new. In our case, the hinge system should be a product that can be (easily) cleaned, repainted and adjusted so that it can be reused on another laptop. While these refurbished products sometimes do not last as long as new products, it helps with reducing the use of new materials.
For the seventh R, the purpose is to look at parts of the product that can be used again to create new parts. Old RAM, SSDs or keyboards already get remanufactured from the laptop, but the old hinges and casing should also be able to be reshaped or reinforced to fit newer laptops. This way there is not a need of making new hinges, which will lead to reducing the use of new resources.
For the eighth R, the goal is to find a new way to use the product/ product parts when its original purpose is not functional any more. The hinge system could be used for other hinge systems that need to extend products, like desk accessories, tablet holders or phone stands. This way, these products will need to use new materials. If the company branches out to have multiple different accessories that use the same hinges to extend and fold, it would help the company reduce spending and the use of new materials.
The ninth R-strategy considers what to do when a product and its parts cannot be repurposed or remanufactured. So, finding a way to break it down to its raw material to be used again is the goal. For the hinge casing, the materials that are best recycled are bioplastics and 100% recyclable aluminium. For the laptop chassis, it could be made out of the same material so more of the product is recycled. This will ensure the product material will be less likely to end up in waste and can be (almost) fully reused.
If the product cannot in some way be reused or recycled, the last R-strategy states that the goal is to still recover energy or materials from the product. The product parts could be separated and broken down to a source of energy, such as gas, electricity, or biochemical compounds. This application of this strategy would depend on the chosen product material.
Further Recommendations
Laptop Body – Materials
For the construction of the body, a wide range of polymers and metals is available. Following other companies choices could greatly increase sustainability of the product. Some brands use partially recycled polymers or carbon fibres. Currently Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) plastics is one of the hot topics in industry. This material is strong and durable enough for a laptop chassis and using it in supplement for regular polymers helps to reduce carbon emissions. It is a great way to offer sustainable solutions for consumers, with no sacrifices on consumer end.
Another choice for the laptop chassis is aluminium. This material is light and durable, and is commonly used in both internal and external computer parts. It is a less sustainable choice of material, however it comes with other advantages. An aluminium body can influence the interactions and perception of the product.
Internals
The most important internal parts in this design are hinges. Most popular materials for this part are stainless steel, zinc alloys and aluminium. The unique hinge design of the product exerts more force on hinges than regular laptop screens therefore, it requires more durable solutions than in the most common laptops. In this case the cheapest but still reliable option seems to be stainless steel, which is strong enough to support the whole construction. Going further into details, the torque mechanism for hinges is chosen as it provides more stability that friction mechanism.
Specification
It is not the focus of the design to choose specific parts however, their approximation may help with potential future implementation of the product. Considering the choice of rather premium materials for the internal mechanical parts, the specification of the laptop should follow their quality, which means it should be on the higher end. Some proposed parts are: the latest 8-core processors from either Intel or AMD with integrated graphics and passive heat dissipation to reduce size and weight of the laptop. It is still possible to adjust the design for the accommodation of the dedicated graphics card, that will provide more computation power and significantly better performance in graphics-heavy programs. However, it comes with the increased size and weight.
Less powerful and smaller systems usually require smaller PCB boards, which use less materials, which reduces the cost and lowers carbon emissions therefore, it is a more sustainable choice, although it may not meet customer expectations in terms of performance.
With this phase, we considered potential future implementation of materials. As can be read above though, a lot more research and choices and design would be necessary to fully define all that. That, however, will not be done for this project. For us, this was the last phase of the project and after concluding it, we decided to look back at everything we and case owner did in the last 3 months, and reflect on it.