The ET Foundation promotes the use of aluminum extrusions in new product areas including sustainable products. I decided to enter my thesis project, the Element Personal Computer the aluminum extrusions which made up the casing were the main focus of how the computer would disassemble and be remanufacturable.
The name Element had not been chosen yet, and so the entry was called Dissolve Computing because all of the parts disassociate at the end of the computers life, as if they were dissolving.
The Dissolve PC was designed with the use of aluminum extrusions to increase the end of life recoverability of the computer and its components. The aluminum extrusions fit together and have slots for all of the computers internal components. The case is then sealed with recyclable plastic side plates.
At the end of the computers life, all of the components are easily disassembled and reprocessed. The aluminum and plastic can be put directly into household recycling, where it is a valuable secondary commodity. The technical parts then would be sent back to the manufacturer where they would be smelted to recover the valuable materials such as silver and gold.
The Dissolve PC won Hydro Sustainable Design Award from the ET Foundation.
These three boards were submitted to the ET Foundation for judging:
