Design Journey 

Spring 2021

Passionate students and staff from the Design Thinking Initiative focused on conducting research through stakeholder interviews and precious plastics literature to redesign the open source shredder machine. Through four group stakeholder meetings and individual interviews, we refined the shredder machine design, established a machine longevity plan, and gathered educational and machine usage resources. 

We also identified our leading design principles that would inform our design. They can be categorized into the machine design, the machine in the community, and our approach to this work. 

Our work was featured during Celebrating Collaborations, a event showcasing and celebrating the scholarly work of Smith College students.

As one of the students, Morgan Jones '21 said, "It's been rewarding to design and build infrastructure based on stakeholder interviews and research that empowers local community members, makers, and educators to rethink waste and how we recycle plastic <3 design/build projects."

Shredder.mp4

Initial design of the shredder

Fall 2021

This semester, we focused on the testing of the shredder's blades. We also worked on finding an open-source extruder design that fit our needs. We converged on the Lyman/Mulier Extruder design with the hopes of being able to leverage documentation and modularity to create a “filament maker” extension for a “plug-and-play” design.

Spring 2022

In our one year recap, we accomplished so much! We prioritized designing and fabricating a customized Shredder machine that breaks down plastic waste, We also connected with local leaders of makerspaces to co-articulate a vision of how this resource would serve the broader community. Our team uses a variety of project management strategies and are currently relying on a SCRUM process, clear documentation, and weekly meetings.

Fall 2022

Our team grew this year so we split up into two groups, the Community Engagement and Fabrication Team. The Community Engagement worked on reconnecting with community partners and working with new groups like engineering classes and faculty. The latter worked on circuit board design and electronics.

Stay tune for Spring 2023 updates!