Duramix Self-Healing Plastic - Case Study Example

MEMORANDUM TO: Tutor’s Name FROM: Student’s Name DATE: December 1, 2013 SUBJECT: RESEARCH PROPOSAL DRAFT ON APPLICATION OF SELF-HEALING PLASTICS IN THE MOBILE PHONE CASING INDUSTRY The intention of the proposed research is to resolve a problem that has a long standing in the mobile telephone industry. You note that despite the discovery of self-healing plastic whose mechanical properties are superior to those of conventional plastic, mobile casing manufacturers have continued to utilize this low end material. In coming up with a solution, this research shall dwell on the scientific analysis of this problem in order to establish a concrete backup as to why self-healing plastic is the only substitute to the conventional plastic whose aesthetics fade as soon as the gadget is purchased. The mobile phone industry has over years been facing the customization and disposal woes with respect to the casings offered regardless of whether the gadget is low or high end. The maintenance costs that are incurred by clients in a bid to replace the cracked and broken phone casings are alarmingly high. It has also been observed in a research by Wilhem (2012) that mobile phones are among the most replaced electronics in the world. He explains further that in the united states alone, it has been observed that personalization of mobile phone casings is usually brought about by the fact that the ones that come with the phone do not either withstand the weather, do not look appealing to the end user or cannot serve the period that the manufacturer has set as the lifespan for these items. Therefore, disposals have increased tenfold with approximately 140 million units discarded annually in the United States. The issue of durability in mobile phones casings has also popped up severally in various conferences due to the above figures. Another problem that has arisen more often is the bid by users to have their gadgets customized from time to time due to casing durability problems. This has escalated to more catastrophic problems that are related to environmental degradation due to disposal on non-biodegradable materials that come from this sector. From the 140 million discarded units, only 10% are recycled; a fact that has elicited a lot of contention from the protagonists of this lucrative industry. The environmental issue is not only attached to the heaps that has emanated in some areas around the world but also the toxic levels of these plastic casings once they find their way into the environment. The overriding objectives of this proposal shall be centered on the mobile phone industry’s casing material problems which needs to be approached from the angle of material design for environmental hazard elimination. The main objectives are: To answer the question on why individuals replace their mobile phone casings as frequently as they do. To establish whether the redesign of mobile phone casings would discourage the end users from replacing their casings less often. To establish whether self-healing plastic is the most appropriate material for phone casings design. To find out whether the self-healing plastic mechanical properties are more superior to those of conventional plastic. The existing recyclable conventional plastic that is used by the mobile phone industry has proven to be problematic. The industry requires materials that are durable in that they can maintain their aesthetic value. Maintaining of the aesthetic value means that they shall have to stay longer with the looks that they were bought with. In buying the mobile phone casings for replacement, the end users seek the opportunity to refresh the look of their phones into a presentable gadget. On replacement the industry marketing campaigns encourage users to replace their phones without considering the sustainability issue at hand. Innovation has to be centered on how this case shall be put to rest once and for all when it comes to industry practices that are likely to ruin quality of goods provided and in the long run turn into environmental catastrophes. Duramix self-healing plastic, a second generation plastic has been suggested as the most workable solution for the problem at hand based on wear and tear considering the major reason as to why the mobile phone users are not comfortable with their current handsets. Wear and tear in mobile phone casings can only be reduced if a tougher material substitutes the conventional plastic. Duramix behaves in an anatomic manner to heal once a crack or a fracture in material occurs thereby exposing the “polymerizer.” The polymerizer actually behaves the same way as an adhesive or a sealant on exposure thus sealing the opening as much as it may seem minute. This leads to preservation of the aesthetic value of the plastic material from enlargement of cracks and eventual failure in casing material. This suggestion is based among other mechanical properties that qualify Duramix self-healing plastic as superior to the conventional plastic. From the above statements it is noted that; not only shall Duramix solve the casing cracking and fracturing issue but also ensure that the casing is “scratch-proof”, “dent-free” and “everlasting.” This material has the ability to ‘remember’ its initial shape and therefore it cannot deform in such circumstances as a crash on a hard surface. This is a plus since the current material deforms and even succumbs to a slight harsh weather. For example conventional plastic fades or tints on exposure to strong light which is off course a turn off to the end user prompting a changeover. This can also encourage returns for refurbishment, recycling and resale to interested parties. The schedule of execution is shown in figure 1 below: Figure 1: Schedule of project execution. The major costs shall be diverted to the research design phase since the project shall require some tours to be undertaken within the plastic manufacturing industries so as to verify the feasibility for mass production of Duramix self-healing plastic. This exercise shall also be carried out when it come to the mobile phones casing manufacturers. This shall help achieve the clarity regarding this matter from the manufacturer point of view. Acquisition of prototypes shall also be costly as the self-healing material is not widely used and shall be availed on special request. Data collection and concept refinement shall require to be facilitated through questionnaire design for both online and physical approach of this matter. ACTIVITY COST Research Design $ 1,000.00 Conducting Research $ 2,000.00 Data Collection $ 3,000.00 Data analysis $ 1,000.00 Prototype Design $ 3,000.00 Documentation and Presentation $ 1,000.00 Total $ 11,000.00 Table 1: A summary of the costs that shall be involved in undertaking this project The proposal is very clear on the intended achievements or objectives as design alternative for materials to be applied in the manufacture of mobile phone casings that shall be long lasting i.e. scratch-proof and dent-free. In summary, the solution provided herein suggests the use of Duramix self-healing plastic in order to maintain the appealing aesthetics to the end user. This shall ensure that the characteristics of inferior plastic casing materials are eliminated and that clients stay with their mobile handsets for a longer period without a desire to swap from time to time. Even if renewals continue, these handsets may be in a crisp state for reuse by interested parties. This solution shall also deal with the environmental crisis that comes with discarding of the conventional plastic. Read More