Upcycle: the new Recycle
| By Peter Woodd, IDT Systems Ltd Energy management – why worry? Everything in our world is created using the natural resources of our world. This, combined with human ingenuity, products are created to address social and economic needs. In the last century it is safe to say that progress has mostly been driven by the needs of commerce without, in most cases, any respect for the environment on the planet earth. Fortunately there is now considerable awareness and focus on producing products from reused materials. The benefits are immense, not the least of which is that it takes less energy to recycle than to create virgin products. So “re use” has come into our vocabulary. As has ‘upcycle’…yes, there is a process known as ‘upcycle’.  Figure 1: VALOX IQ PBT RESIN CHEMICAL ‘UPCYCLE’ PROCESS
Adding value Industrial design has moved from function to fashion, purely functional is no longer the only competitive advantage. The consumer is enticed by the appearance of the product and the importance of the brand in representing their personal values, thus extending the brand experience. We have seen the emergence of expressions like “mass customisation” and “personalisation”. Technology has permitted the opportunity for Rapid Manufacturing (RM) processes which are seen by many as the driving force in future product sales. Digital technology has been the most significant and “disruptive force “ in the printing industry. It really is “print on demand “that has created the practical opportunity to personalise products to a customer’s design, in a production environment, at a cost that is competitive. It is also instant all that is needed is a ‘jpeg’ or ‘tiff’ file and within minutes you have printed and decorated. It is capable of decorating 3D products with hi res images or colours, an amazing pallet of effects for the CMF / DMF Group. The whole process also consumes less energy in production. Adding value & taking out cost As we move forward with innovative upcycled material solutions we need also to look for environmental improvements in the decorative finishing space. In the consumer electronics space the use of solvent based paint has been extensive. Today, companies are looking for alternatives to solvent based paints. There have been strong moves to use water based paints and this is a step in the right direction. The next step Alongside the drive to create re-usable polymers has been the drive to take paint out of a process. Upcycled materials can be decorated without paint/coating using tool finishing to deliver a range of exciting surface finishes.  Figure 2: i-SD SYSTEM DECORATED MASK
This process, known as i-SD (In-Surface Decoration), actually allows for digitally printed images to be decorated directly into the surface of the part. Yes, not on the surface, into the surface - up to 200 microns. This provides a variety of additional benefits as it:
|
