Francesca gave us her first attempt to create a biological mold and inspiration for this project.

This could be used for making a quick prototype that represents the form of a newly designed

object.

#UGent #CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution #StrongCoffee

Francesca gave us her first attempt to create a biological mold and inspiration for this project.

This could be used for making a quick prototype that represents the form of a newly designed

object.

#UGent #CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution #StrongCoffee

This object is a small very simple form that we're gonna use to test our molds. Thanks to the

simple form we don't have to take account the obstacles of more difficult mold forms to test the

quality of the mold itself.

#UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution #SomeTimesKeepItSimple

Our last trial of the day ended up being too hot to analyze. Therefore we took it home and we put it in the fridge to cool down so we could analyze it later.

#UGent #CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution #TooHotToHandle #PutItInTheFridgeIfItIsTooHot

Our first trial ended up being too dry, we left our first creation alone for a few minutes and ended up being fully dried out. Except for it being dry to quickly it looked promising and we altered the used recipe to make it less dry.

#UGent #CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution #NeverTurnYourBackonYourExperiment #LookedGreatThough

Because there was a shortage of Agar Agar we decided to combine 2 different recipes so we could make a first batch. We combined certain ingredients so the main characteristics of a mold stayed the same.

#UGent #CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution #CombiningRecipes #Ownrecipe

These are the results of 4 different recipes every mould has a different structure and density . Base materials used where coffee ground, plant fiber and wood chips.

#UGent #CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution #TryingThingsOut #CookingGood #4Recipes

Used coffee grounds are already used to grow oyster mushrooms. This gives us a link with project 1: Myleclium-based materials.

#UGent #CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution #OysterMushroom #LinkToAnotherProject #Project1

When completely cured we tested out the new recipe's on firmness. We tried to pick them up and squeeze them. Only one recipe survived the test. This recipe is the winner of today's testing.

#UGent #CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution

#NewGenerationOfRecipes

#OnlyTheStrongSurvive

This photo shows how we mixed compost with the moulds we made, so that we could test whether all the ingredients used were fully biodegradable. To create as little waste as possible that is harmful to the environment. #EndOfLife #Compost #Biodegradable

When thinking about the project in a lockdown situation, we asked ourselves what we would do if we could not get to the IDC for coffee ground. This made us think about the possibility to use coffee ground from your coffee machine at home. Here you see the gathered ground from home drying in the sun. Hopefully, by drying them they will last longer.

#UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution #GottaDrinkCoffee #NothingGoesToWaste #HomeMade

Testing if it's possible to use used coffee grounds from our own coffee machines at home. This week we tested undried coffee. The coffee for our dried testing is still at the window of our home drying.

#UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution #WhyDryIfItIsntNecessary #GottaDrinkCoffee #NothingGoesToWaste #HomeMade

Group 1 contacted us to see if it was possible for us to make a mould of a heel. The first try was at home but it wasn't a success but the second try at school was much better. With this mould Group 1 could start testing as shown in the picture.

#UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution#Collaberation#PreparedMycelium

When moulds go wrong, what to do with the excess material? To answer this question we needed to look at the end of life of our mould. We did not like the idea of just throwing away our precious coffee after one use, this seemed like a waste.

So we tried to reuse a failed experiment that had been lying in the fridge for about a week. The test was a success.

This means that our recipe is reusable until it starts to mold. By putting it in the refrigerator we slow down the process of molding.

#UGent#CSO9#SiliconMouldSubstitution#EndOfLife#NothingGoesToWaste#FailureLeadsToKnowledge

To apply all the theory we see in the lessons easier and tips we get from our teachers/stakeholders we summarized everything in an uncluttered summary. This way we can quickly take a look at it when we're stuck on something involving the theoretical part of our problem-solving task.

#UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution#SummariesForTheWin#OfCourseTheTheoryIsImportant

In this growth and investment archetype you can see that the amount of available ingredients in the IDC should be monitored up close when making it available. This way there's always enough ingredients available if more people should start using our molding procedure. The more people use our molding procedure the more ingredients there should be available.

#UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution#ArchetypesForTheWin#GrowthAndInvestment

To get the object out of the mould, we used various methods to damage it as little as possible, such as rubbing the object directly on the beeswax or heating the beeswax and rubbing it on the object. We also tried other techniques, like olive oil or alginate powder. Sadly enough the tests failed.

#UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution#Beeswax#ThankTheBees#HomeMade

The photo shows the end of life after 3 weeks of experimentation. The first 2 weeks, the coffee moulds were ground and mixed with the compost. In week 3 the 'waste' from the experiment, the coffee grinds were laid whole in the compost so that we could determine the best method of composting out of these 2.

#UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution#Biodegradeable#EndOfLIfe#Composting#ThreeWeeksOfExperimenting

We contacted the other project that uses coffee as a main ingredient. Jenthe was so kind to make time on his Sunday to meet. He explained us how he got their coffee and the aspects in which it performs better. The coffee is waste of waste, it comes from a company named Glimps that uses the oil out of coffee grind. This his makes the coffee even more circular to use in our project. We also talked about possibilities to work together on a storing system in the IDC, since we would both need it and could benefit from each other.

#UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution#Glimps#JentheIsTheMan#Circular#Systems

We did our first polyurethane test and it turned out better than thought. The resin solidified well and did not bond to the coffee mould. It even took over some small details from the original piece, like the tape holding it down. This test was a success because now we know other materials can be used in our mould. We also wanted to try other ingredients but as you can see on the pictures the moulds did not turn out great. So we sticked to resin.

#UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution#PolyurethaneResin

I worked with other containers than normally used for tests, this led to the problem that they sticked to the container. To solve this I’ve put the containers in some hot water to melt the outer layer and this way extract the mould. I forgot to take them out in time wich led to this disaster. The other mould I left in its container to be salvaged next week after cooling down again in the fridge. Positive side note: the shape inside the mould came out almost perfectly even being a not so ideal shape. This is great news since last weeks test were a failure.

#UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution#TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly

In order to know the best way to store the ingredients, it was decided to keep them both in the fridge and at room temperature over a longer period of time and with different mixtures. This could be useful to apply in the future, if this project is possibly taken up, during Yannick's classes. #UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution#KeepItUsable#Moulding

The last weeks we worked on our system to see how everything will work theoretically and practically. A few things to show this is a more detailed scheme of our stakeholders, an Eco map to see what and how much influence things have on our system and a part of our LCA, the system boundaries of the ingredients of our recipe. #UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution#Stakeholdermap#Ecomap#LCA#SystemBoundaries

We tried out all kinds of materials inside the coffee molds. From resin to natural rubber (latex) and coffee itself. Sadly most of the ingredients mixed with the coffee-mold somehow. The natural rubber had particles of coffee inside it and the resin seemed to have released chemicals inside the mold. We left out the mold to dry and afterwards saw that it became hard as a rock, so we tried out a normal coffee mixture if this did the same. So far the normal coffee mixture hasn’t gotten as hard. This can lead us to believe the coffee-mold sucks out chemicals from the materials we used in it. These materials would make the mold not ecofriendly. #UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution#TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly

With this BOTG, we are investigating the fungus development of all the ingredients of our mould. Out of this we want to discover the best way to store all the different ingredients. Two mixtures of each combination of ingredients have been made so that they can be stored at room temperature and in the refrigerator. It is still a work in progress.

#UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution#BOTG#Roomtemp.VSFridge

To prepare other students in using our mould, we created an Excel sheet and a recipe that they can use to make a mould on their own. The recipe tells all steps and even makes a difference in different ingredients that can be used. The Excel sheet helps the user compute the amount of the ingredients needed.

#UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution#Recipe#DoItYourself

We sat down this week with our whole group to discuss the possibilities to make our system as self-sustainable as possible. We looked at how our products could be stored, if we can make a pre-made brew, how all the Ingredients could be delivered, what after somebody used our mold procedure etc.

#UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution#Self-sustainability#EndOfLife#CompostBinForTheWin

Our final recipe test. With the closure of group 7 the other coffee group, we got our hands on some GLIMPS coffee. What is special about this coffee? It is grinded into 4micron which is extremely small, also the oils are extracted from the coffee grind which makes it dryer and last very long. Only downside: glimps is located in Gentbrugge, this is quite far and would not be as sustainable as home brew coffee or coffee from the ‘paardenstallen’ at the IDC. These were the Glimps coffee contestants. Results were that the glimps Coffee was the best, but was not that much better than the others in mould strength. So is it worth the ride??

#UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution #GLIMPS #WorthIt?

We made a poster to hang out in the IDC. Our goal is to inform people that our used coffee ground molding exists and hopefully will be used by several students or other interested people that pass our school and the IDC. We only explained the basics of our molding and put in a QR-code to our video that will explain everything in detail.

#UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution #CoffeeColours#Advertising

In order to test the sustainability, we have decided to make an appeal to students to collect coffee themselves and to dip it in the collection bin. With this we want to test whether it is possible to supply the students with coffee or whether they have to supply it themselves as coffee quickly develops mould if it is not dried and stored correctly.

#UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution #CoffeeVSmould#Sustainability

The third file on our drive is an online spreadsheet that the users can fill in to register the amount of coffee they added or took from the container in the BIOfablab. We count on the honesty and trust of the users in the IDC to fill this in as accurate as possible. This way we can look if this is a valuable way of supplying the coffee for our system.

#UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution #Ledger#CoffeeSupply#Sustainability

To start our system we created a google drive. On this drive people can find the recipe in pdf form and an ingredient calculator. These two files need to be downloaded to use and help the user in creating their own coffee mould. The third file is an online spreadsheet that the users can fill in to register the amount of coffee they added or took from the container in the BIOfablab.

#UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution #Sustainability

To clarify our project, we have prepared a PowerPoint explaining how the moulding is realised. We also give more information about each ingredient, its possibilities and possible substitutes. The PowerPoint also constains a video showing the recipe and the process of moulding so each step is as clear as possible.

#UGent#CSO9 #SiliconMouldSubstitution#PPandVideo#RecipeandProcess