The Product I have chosen to investigate is the life cycle of a paper clip. I will talk about the five steps of the paper clips life from the beginning to the end.
Raise and Extract
First the mining companies mine iron ore from the ground. Then, from a process called smelting, which is heating up ore until the metal becomes spongy and the chemical compounds in the ore begin to break down, they remove the iron from the ore.
Process
The iron from the iron ore that has been removed is filtered and all the impurities are taken out making it to steel. After that, the steel becomes galvanized by dipping it into molten zinc. This process is called hot-dip galvanizing. It helps prevent rusting of the metal after being exposed to water or air.
Manufacture
The galvanized steel is put on a giant spool and is force feed into a machine. The machine then turns the metal into the shape of a paperclip. The finished paperclips fall into a box after going through the machine and the quality of each clip is inspected. Then, they are packed and shipped to the store.
Use
The paperclips are packed into bags or boxes and sold to consumers. When bought, you can use them for many different things. For example, you can hold papers with it, you could make a craft with it, and you can organize your documents. Paperclips have very long usable rates because the metal is bendable so if it ever moves out of shape you can just bend it back. The galvanization of the metal helped a lot on terms of the product life, preventing it from rusting. They aren't really repairable though.
Dispose
When getting rid of paperclips your supposed to recycle them but, most are thrown away. They are no longer of use to the consumer when they either become to bent out of shape to use or get rusted. If they are recycled they can melted and made into new paperclips.
Cool recycling ideas
Sources
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-7/Paper-Clip.html
https://science.howstuffworks.com/iron2.htm
https://livegreen.recyclebank.com/because-you-asked-are-paper-clips-recyclable
https://science.howstuffworks.com/iron2.htm
https://livegreen.recyclebank.com/because-you-asked-are-paper-clips-recyclable
Conclusion Questions
1. The stages it goes through as the product is made used and disposed.
2. So they know how much to make and how to make the product and how long it will last
3. I would make the paperclip out of metal that when dipped in a solution the clip would fix its self no matter how tangled up it is. i wold do this because most of the reason why people throw away paperclips is because they are mangled.
4. I think over time my product will not evolve but not become obsolete because it is still really useful today.
5. A Compromise between two things
6. No I do not think there was a trade off in the design of my product because my design is simple and is both functional and efficient.
7. It is important to recycle because it decreases the amount of waste that is put into dumps and waters.
8. They play a role because they are the ones who need to make their product recycleable
9. If the society doesn't take the time and effort to recycle then there is no use in having recyclable objects. They need to be the ones who care
10. Recycle as much as i can and use more Eco-friendly or efficient products and do my part by turn off the lights when no in use or conserving water.
2. So they know how much to make and how to make the product and how long it will last
3. I would make the paperclip out of metal that when dipped in a solution the clip would fix its self no matter how tangled up it is. i wold do this because most of the reason why people throw away paperclips is because they are mangled.
4. I think over time my product will not evolve but not become obsolete because it is still really useful today.
5. A Compromise between two things
6. No I do not think there was a trade off in the design of my product because my design is simple and is both functional and efficient.
7. It is important to recycle because it decreases the amount of waste that is put into dumps and waters.
8. They play a role because they are the ones who need to make their product recycleable
9. If the society doesn't take the time and effort to recycle then there is no use in having recyclable objects. They need to be the ones who care
10. Recycle as much as i can and use more Eco-friendly or efficient products and do my part by turn off the lights when no in use or conserving water.