Week 4

On Friday morning we went to the machine shop at 3101 to get our mold cut out. Once we got there we found out that we couldn't use aluminum like we had planned because that would have taken around a week to be ready. Therefore, with Mark's help, we laser cut our mold into acrylic as shown in the picture and video below.

Figure 4.a: Mark working on our mold

Video 1: Mold being laser cut

Since we already had all the materials we need for the project, we were able to make our first batch. These samples were made with the original recipe: 60mL of water, 12g of gelatine and 12g of glycerol. We worked in the hot room mentioned before. The samples are now setting, once they're done we will take them out of the mold and perform our first tensile test.

Figure 4.c: Team members making the plastic

Figure 4.b: Plastic drying

Week 3

During Week 3's lab we had to figure out the exact geometry for the molds that are going to be used to pour the plastic in. Since we are using machines to test our bioplastic, there is a specific shape that the sample is required to have in order to perform the test on it. We designed this shape using a software called PTC Creo. We will order aluminum and email this file to the machine shop in order to get the molds for your project. Once we have these molds, we can begin the process of making the samples. The shape of our samples is shown in the picture below.

Figure 3.a: Calculations of the thickness of our samples

Towards the end of the lab, Mr. Steve Pagano took our team to the shop where the tensile machines are so that we could take a look at where we would be working while testing. This shop is located in the Main Building. The picture below shows the tensile machines that will be used to test our samples.

Figure 3.b: Tensile Testing Machines

Week 2

During the second week's lab we collected some materials, asked our TA about what machines would be useful for testing or product in the Machine Shop, and did some research on the creation of bioplastics. 

The resources collected were a hot plate that will be used to heat the plastic, a nonstick pan, and a spatula required to mix the plastic. The machine needed for our testing is a Tensile Strength Tester for plastic. Through our research we found out the basics of plastic chemistry including how the properties relate to the reactants used. We also found out that there is no reaction in the process of making the bioplastic. 

Figure 2.a: Team 14

Project Overview / Week 1

Since we decided to do a project that was different from the one that's being done by our section, we had already met with Professor Speidel a few weeks before the class. During the lab, our final idea and goal with discussed with the professor and he showed us the Hot Room (with a temperature of 37 °C) that we will work in throughout the course.

Figure 1.a: Collage of Hot Room pictures and Team 14

Our Engr 103 Design Project is called Plausible Plastics and our goal for such project
is to find an alternative to mass produce plastics, which are non biodegradable, and therefore harmful to the environment. This is why we've decided to create our own bioplastic from scratch by testing different samples that we're going to prepare each week. Each sample will have different formulas of the same ingredients and our aim is to observe how the variations affect the plastic's properties.

Figure 1.b: Logo of our project: Plausible Plastics

Who We Are: Plastic Kids

   John H. Speidel - speidel@drexel.edu - Teaching Professor

  Max Beverly - rmb327@drexel.edu - Chemical Engineering

Keagan Clark - ktc44@drexel.edu - Chemical Engineering

Veronica Graterol - vg373@drexel.edu - Chemical Engineering

Isabella Mendoza - mm3977@drexel.edu - Material Science and Engineering

Plastic Kids: Engineering 103, Drexel University