Designing sustainable products from the ground up is crucial for minimizing environmental impact. Subproject 2 aims to develop an eco-design tool that assists designers in selecting materials and processes that enhance sustainability. The tool will provide features to reduce material usage, optimize for recyclability, and extend product longevity, making it an invaluable resource for both novice and expert designers in the plastics industry.

Targets

Current CAD tools offer basic features for developing parts and products, such as geometry creation and cost calculation. However, they lack functionalities that allow designers to evaluate and compare production methods and materials based on sustainability metrics. This gap is especially critical during the early development phases, where decisions significantly impact costs and sustainability.

To address this, Subproject 2 will develop an advanced eco-design tool and platform. This solution will enable both novice and expert designers to:

  • Evaluate and compare different materials and production methods for their sustainability impact.
  • Develop parts and products with reduced material usage and improved sustainability.
  • Incorporate sustainability considerations early in the design process, leading to more cost-effective and environmentally friendly products.

By integrating these capabilities into a user-friendly platform, the project aims to bridge the gap in existing CAD tools, fostering more sustainable design practices across the industry.

Research partners:

ETHZ โ€“ Eidgenรถssische Technische Hochschule Zรผrich โ€“ pd|z Product Development Group Zurich

SUPSI โ€“ Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana โ€“ Department of Innovative Technologies

OST โ€“ Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Science โ€“ IWK Institute for Materials Technology and Plastics Processing

HSG โ€“ University of St.Gallen โ€“ Institute of Technology Management (ITEM)

Implementation partners:

Interroll

Jellypipe AG

Medmix Systems AG

Mythentec AG

Pilatus Flugzeugwerke AG

Resilux Schweiz AG

SoRec AG