Process Design of Plastic Waste Valorization Using 3D Printing Technology
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Process Design of Plastic Waste Valorization Using 3D Printing Technology Inês Oliveira Rosado Dissertation to Obtain the Master of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering and Management Supervisor: Prof. Ana Isabel Cerqueira de Sousa Gouveia Carvalho Examination Committee Chairperson: Prof. José Rui De Matos Figueira Supervisor: Prof. Ana Isabel Cerqueira de Sousa Gouveia Carvalho Member of the Committe: Teresa Sofia Sardinha Cardoso de Gomes Grilo November 2019 Abstract Mankind’s addiction to plastic has led to the current plastic age where the growth of plastic production has surpassed the ability of proper waste management, causing significant environmental damages. To cope with the excessive volumes of plastic, Company A developed a waste valorization solution that involves extrusion and 3D printing of plastic waste into marketable products, however, the complexity of the process integration of this solution at an industrial scale represents an obstacle to its implementation. Therefore, this research aims at filling the literature gap by developing an integrated process design of waste valorization with extrusion and 3D printing operations, at an industrial scale, by adopting a methodology centered on Slack et al. (2007) approach, which comprises the five pillars of process design: process technology, product design, layout and flow, job design, and supply network design. A literature review on the plastic market, 3D printing, extrusion, and process design was carried out which provided a theoretical basis to conduct interviews with key players, and experimental testing with extrusion and 3D printing. The results of the analysis, with primary focus to the process technology pillar, enabled the characterization of the extrusion and 3D printing critical operational parameters, the main quality problems and their troubleshooting process, and the proposal of equipment which are available in the market. To assess the viability of the proposed solution, a project appraisal was conducted to twelve scenarios, considering different production capacities and different marketable products. Keywords: 3D Printing, Extrusion, Plastic Recycling, Process Design I Resumo A utilização desmedida de plástico originou a atual era do plástico, caracterizada pelo crescimento da produção com plástico que ultrapassou a capacidade de uma gestão de resíduos apropriada, causando perigos ambientais significativos. Neste contexto, a Empresa A desenvolveu uma solução de valorização de resíduos que envolve a extrusão e impressão 3D de produtos comercializáveis utilizando resíduos plásticos, contudo, a complexidade da integração dos processos desta solução numa escala industrial apresenta uma barreira à sua implementação. Assim sendo, esta investigação tem como objetivo preencher a lacuna da literatura através do desenvolvimento do design do processo integrado de valorização de resíduos, com extrusão e impressão 3D numa escala industrial. Foi adotada uma metodologia baseada na abordagem de Slack et al. (2007) que define cinco pilares de design de processo: tecnologia de processo, design de produto, configuração e fluxo, design de trabalho e design da rede de fornecedores. É apresentada uma revisão da literatura do mercado de plásticos, impressão 3D, extrusão e design de processos, que serviu de base teórica para a realização de entrevistas e testes experimentais de extrusão e impressão 3D. Os resultados, com ênfase na tecnologia de processos, permitiram a caracterização dos parâmetros operacionais críticos da extrusão e impressão 3D, os principais problemas de qualidade e respetivas soluções, e a apresentação de equipamentos disponíveis no mercado. A viabilidade da solução proposta é examinada após a realização de uma avaliação de projeto para doze cenários em que cada um tinha em conta diferentes capacidades de produção e diferentes produtos comercializáveis. Palavras-chave: Impressão 3D, Extrusão, Reciclagem de Plástico, Design de Processos II Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Prof. Ana Carvalho, for her expertise, availability, and support through each step of the process, and for always motivating me to excel. Without her guidance and contribution, this dissertation would not have been possible. I would also like to thank Pedro Alves and Francisco Tenente, for investing their time in providing me with valuable information and advice for the development of my dissertation. A special thank you to my friends, who have supported me throughout this journey and who have always offered me unforgettable moments, essential to recover energies and keep things in perspective. My final and most important words of gratitude are addressed to my family, especially my parents and sister, and to my boyfriend, Manuel, for their unconditional support, encouragement, and love, without which I would not have come this far. “Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourself a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles.” – Helen Keller III Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................................... I Resumo ................................................................................................................................................... II Acknowledgements............................................................................................................................... III List of Figures .......................................................................................................................................VII List of Tables .........................................................................................................................................IX List of Abbreviations.............................................................................................................................XI 1 | Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 | Problem Motivation ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 | Dissertation Objectives ................................................................................................................. 1 1.3 | Dissertation Outline ...................................................................................................................... 2 2 | The Plastic Market ............................................................................................................................. 3 2.1 | The Plastic Age ............................................................................................................................. 3 2.1.1 | Plastic Production and Consumption ..................................................................................... 3 2.1.2 | Plastic Waste Management ................................................................................................... 4 2.1.3 | Plastic Pollution ...................................................................................................................... 5 2.2 | Plastics Classification ................................................................................................................... 7 2.3 | Company A ................................................................................................................................. 11 2.3.1 | Business Model .................................................................................................................... 11 2.3.2 | 3D Printing Solution ............................................................................................................. 12 2.3.3 | Markets ................................................................................................................................ 12 2.4 | Problem Characterization ........................................................................................................... 13 2.5 | Conclusions ................................................................................................................................ 13 3 | State of the Art ................................................................................................................................. 14 3.1 | 3D Printing .................................................................................................................................. 14 3.1.1 | Fused Deposition Modeling ................................................................................................. 16 3.2 | Extrusion ..................................................................................................................................... 23 3.3 | Process Design ........................................................................................................................... 29 3.4 | Conclusions ................................................................................................................................ 32 4 | Research Methodology ................................................................................................................... 33 4.1 | Process Technology ..................................................................................................................