Ice cube maker
From DDL Wiki
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| Screws || XX || Attach parts and keep them in place || <0.1 || Steel || Purchased || | | Screws || XX || Attach parts and keep them in place || <0.1 || Steel || Purchased || | ||
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| + | '''**'''Note: Some assemblies and parts were not disassembled in order to avoid destroying the parts. | ||
== LCA == | == LCA == | ||
Revision as of 08:55, 21 September 2008
Ice cube maker
Basic introduction information.
How on earth do we get the "contents" box?
Bill of Materials
| Part # | Part Name | Qty | Function | Weight (Ounces) | Material | Manufacturing Process | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Cover | 1 | Protect machinery | 2 | PVC | Injection Molded | |
| 02 | Ice ejector gear | 1 | Connect the ice ejector to the switches | 0.1 | Plastic | Injection Molded | |
| 03 | Ice ejector timing shaft | 1 | Connect ice ejector gear to the ice ejector | 0.4 | Plastic | Injection Molded | |
| 04 | Ice ejector drive shaft | 1 | Transfer torque from the motor to the ice ejector | 0.1 | Plastic | Injection Molded | |
| 05 | Ice ejector | 1 | Rotate to push ice out of tray and into bin | 1 | Plastic | Injection Molded | |
| 06 | Outer plate | 1 | Separate and support the mechanical components from the electrical wires | 3 | Steel | Blanked and machine finished | |
| 07 | Switch | 3 | Synchronize the mechanical elements | 0.2 | Plastic, Steel | Purchased | |
| 08 | Motor | 1 | Power the ice maker | X | Steel, other | Purchased | |
| 09 | Arm | 1 | Senses when ice box is full to stop ice maker | 0.1 | Steel | Machine bent | |
| 10 | Arm Spring | 1 | Transfers arm motion to CAM | <0.1 | Steel | Purchased | |
| 11 | CAM | 1 | Stops ice ejector shaft from rotating | 3.2 | Steel | Cast and finish machined | |
| 12 | Thermocouple | 2 | Switch on/off power to the heater | 0.1 | Various | Purchased | - |
| 13 | Thermopaste | enough | Transfer heat | <0.1 | X | Purchased | |
| 14 | Heater | 1 | Heats tray to allow ice to be removed | 3 | Aluminum, Stranded Electrical Wire, Plastic | Purchased | |
| 15 | Ice Tray | 1 | Holds water while it freezes to become ice | XX | Metal, Unknown | Casted | |
| 16 | Ice shield | 1 | Keeps ice cubes from rotating back into the tray, guides ice cubes into bin | 1.1 | Plastic | Injection Molded | |
| 17 | Ice Bin | 1 | Collects and stores ice cubes | X | PVC | Injection Molded | |
| 18 | Electrical Wires | 6 | Transfer electricity | <0.1 | Plastic & Stranded Electrical Wire | Purchased | |
| 19 | Electrical Wire Cap | X | Joins wires together and covers the connection | <0.1 | Plastic | Molded | |
| 20 | Water Inlet | 1 | Collects water and guides it into the ice tray | 0.5 | Plastic | Injection Molded | |
| 21 | Screws | XX | Attach parts and keep them in place | <0.1 | Steel | Purchased |
**Note: Some assemblies and parts were not disassembled in order to avoid destroying the parts.
LCA
The Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment (EIO-LCA) website, www.eiolca.net, contains data on the most common contributors to greenhouse gases, toxic releases, and energy usage from industries and sections of those industries. Although there was not a category that specifically fit our product, our ice maker fit best in the category of “Household refrigerator and home freezer manufacturing.” The simulation pretended that an additional $1 million had been spent in this industry, then we examined the how much extra greenhouse gases would be released into the atmosphere. If the product were typical for its sector, the following table displays how many greenhouse gases would be emitted in to the atmosphere by spending an extra $1 million:
| Sector | GWP MTCO2E | CO2 MTCO2E | CH4 MTCO2E | N2O MTCO2E | CFCs MTCO2E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total for all sectors | 881. | 671. | 62.0 | 12.7 | 136. |
| Power generation and supply | 231 | 228 | 0 | 0 | 2. |
| Industrial gas manufacturing | 161. | 46.1 | 0 | 0 | 115 |
| Truck transportation | 54.3 | 53.5 | 0.083 | 0.746 | 0 |
| Household refrigerator and home freezer manufacturing | 36.3 | 36.3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Waste management and remediation services | 27.2 | 4.30 | 22.9 | 0.033 | 0 |
| Plastics material and resin manufacturing | 18.8 | 18.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oil and gas extraction | 18.1 | 3.04 | 15.1 | 0 | 0 |
In manufacturing our ice maker, about a third of the greenhouse gasses emitted come from the creating the power necessary to create it. The metal necessary to create a freezer or refrigerator explain why Iron and steel mills are the next highest sector to output greenhouse gases. Our product, an ice maker has a very low metal content, so this does not make sense in the context of our specific product. Transportation of materials and finished product requires a significant amount of energy. The sector in which our product appears contributes a smaller amount of greenhouse gases, but the waste from the process contributes and even smaller amount. After these sectors we find that manufacturing the plastic components contributes as well as the process of extracting oil and gas (used in both the power generation and the creation of the plastics).
The best method for reducing the ecological impact of our product is to decrease the amount of power used in the manufacturing process. Making this more efficient could potentially cut down significantly the amount of greenhouse gases emitted. Additionally, if the transportation of parts and finished product were made more efficient this would be better for the environment.
