Reassess injection moulding defects for sustainability

Environmental issues nowadays are more urgent insomuch as a radical and prompt intervention is required [UNEP]. For this, the group has been investigating alternative strategies for reducing the environmental impacts of industrial products throughout their life cycle. This research has focused on the environmental potential hidden into the valorisation of design and manufacturing fault during the whole product’s life cycle, and specifically in the manufacturing process. These defects, connected to the each process, entail the removal of the product from the production chain, up to its elimination. Yet even EU directives on guarantees for consumer goods focused on the lack of conformity of products or ISO regulations are useful to support Quality Management System authorize and propose strategies for enhancement of the defective product. Therefore this research suggests the involvement of design for the optimization of defects in product design in order to extend the life of the product from the production stage, acting primarily on the aesthetic and functional level. The method used begins with the identification of possible defects, examining the injection moulding process as a case study. The defects collected were analyzed critically and creatively.