Appliance Design - September 2008 - (Page 40) INDUSTRIAL DESIGN & HUMAN FACTORS the Environmental Protection Enforcement Agency, an environmental group, to promote the cradle-to-cradle idea. The concept considers the complete lifecycle of the material in a product, and the product’s impact on human and environmental health. Bolton adds that the concept of sustainable design recasts typical measures of material and product quality — cost, performance and aesthetics — to include and apply new objectives, such as ecological intelligence and social responsibility. The cradle-to-cradle framework moves beyond the traditional goal of reducing the negative impacts of commerce, he says, to increasing a product’s positive impacts. End of life issues may impact one of the most talked about materials on the market – bioplastics. While not formally defined, the term bioplastics is typically used to describe plastics not made from petroleum. Instead they are often made from plants or even waste products. (One company even makes bioplastics out of pig urine and feces.) While bioplastics are growing in popularity, especially in Asia, their uses might be limited because of recycling issues. They cannot be placed into traditional recycling streams because they can’t be mixed with petroleum-based plastics in recycling. Mixing the two can contaminate the recycling stream and make the whole unusable for future use. Even considering that, many designers feel that bioplastics will play an increasing role in future material choices, as will more capable materials. Smart materials, such as shape memory effect metals and polymers that change properties as a result of external forces and stimuli, are expected to grow in use, Lefteri says. Nanotechnology, too, is expected to play a major force in the development of new materials. One product that recently entered the market is a material called NanoTitanium, which uses nano materials to create super strong metals. The material has been developed by scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory and is being marketed by New Yorkbased Manhattan Scientifics. Of course, not all of the “new” materials are really new. Bamboo has found a home in some consumer electronic applications (See sidebar on page 38.), but it has been used as a building material throughout history. While most experts feel that bamboo is a niche material, it is an example of how even old materials can be used in new ways. Since bio-based materials are renewable, they can provide an option when traditional non-renewable materials become scarce or high-priced. The onslaught of new materials, shifting consumer attitudes, rising costs, and a more restrictive regulatory environment all ensure that the world of materials will remain a volatile one and designers will have to follow new developments as attentively as they follow the news. < For more information, email: ASM International, rego.giovanetti@asminternational.org Chris Lefteri Design, info@chrislefteri.com Design Edge, info@designedge.com Granta Design, Stephen.Warde@grantadesign.com MBDC (McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry), steve.bolton@MBDC.com Material ConneXion, access@materialconnexion.com Mixer Group, Chris@mixergroup.com SKD (Stuart Karten Design), anne@kartendesign.com hyper ventilate New ECOFIT® drop-in design impellers feature a unique mounting flange that cuts assembly time down to seconds and ensures optimal airflow in clean rooms (fan/filter units), fume hoods, HVAC systems and equipment cooling. These flanged-design backwardcurved impellers install with just four screws. Their built-in air inlet ensures the best possible airflow performance every time. Choose from nine UL-Listed models. Call Rosenberg today. Call: (704) 893-0883 Fax: (704) 882-0755 sales@rosenbergusa.com www.rosenbergusa.com Representatives Wanted 40 applianceDESIGN AD09084Rose.indd 1 September 2008 8/7/08 2:45:51 PM www.applianceDESIGN.com http://www.rosenbergusa.com http://www.rosenbergusa.com http://www.appliancedesign.com
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