Banc Hydroponique

A bench designed from recycled plastic and wood with a hydroponic component attached to grow plants.

STEP 1.

Sketched my design.

multiple sketches were drawn on iPad
multiple brainstorming sessions with mentors,

STEP 2.

Met with mentors to know if my sketch and the materials were realistic and feasible.

to use recycled plastic to make slats for the seating
to use wood as the frame of the bench
how the hydroponics would wrap around the bench

STEP 3.

Edited my sketch taking into account the feedback from my mentors and feedback from the SHIFT space, where my bench would be placed.

how the hydroponics would be constructed with or around the bench
the bench dimensions
the size of the SHIFT space

STEP 4.

Met with Ben to get more information on hydroponics & the material needed.

order UV lights, pump, timer, tubes, bucket, reservoir with Ben
UV lights on arms must be ordered on Amazon (only 1ft) - Ben has smallest 2ft long UV lights
PVC pipes are perfect

STEP 5.

Created a schedule & list of materials needed to build the bench.

wood materials for the frame of the bench
recycled plastic for the seating (plastic slats) - polystyrene
flat-head nails & screws (try both with plastic) and wood glue for assembly
PVC pipes, reservoir, pump and UV lights for hydroponics

STEP 6.

Ordered materials for the frame of the bench (wood pieces).

2x4" wood pieces - cut at Home Depot
1x4" wood pieces - cut at Home Depot
6d 2" wood nails

STEP 7.

Went into CVM workspace to test how the recycled plastic and wood would structurally be assembled.

produced a polystyrene plastic sheet with the sheet press
cut 26cm x 26cm plastic sheets in half
melted the 13cm plastic sheet using the "?" machine to fold it in a "U" shape
molded the plastic sheet on a piece of wood using clamps to keep it in place

STEP 8.

Design bench components in 3D CAD using Autodesk Inventor and Fusion.

met with friend for help to use Inventor/Fusion
import parts from McMaster-Carr website
3D designed all pieces for the bench, referring to the final sketch for dimensions

STEP 9.

Met Felix at CVM workspace to produce plastic sheets for stress testing.

tried 250g of polysterene in 1/8 inch sheet press, too many holes
300g polystyrene for 1/8 inch sheet press fills perfectly
600g polystyrene for 1/4 inch sheet press
molded both size sheets into "U" shapes for stress testing

STEP 10.

Tested 1/4in and 1/8in sheet using the compression test.

reached out to lab technician to test the plastic sheets at Concordia University
placed the sheet on wood pieces and inside the compression testing machine and recorded the compression data
repeated the procedure for each plastic sheet
1/4 in plastic sheet yielded a compression strength (before failure) of about 347kN
1/8in plastic sheet yielded a compression strength (before failure) of about 183kN

STEP 11.

Edited the Inventor design.

edited length of plastic slats
added wood spacers to the plastic slats for more strength
added holes into plastic slats for metal rods
changed height and width of wood structure

STEP 12.

Produce 1/8in plastic sheets.

weighed 300g of black & white polystyrene plastic using a scale
sanitized metal sheets for the sheet press
used 12in length/width square & 0.125in thickness frame for sheet size
poured polystyrene within the boundaries of the frame
snipped red colored polysterene bits over the 300g of plastic
placed colorful polystyrene bread bag clips over top of the 300g of plastic for added color
placed another metal sheet on top and placed it in the sheet press
after the melting is completed remove from the sheet press and let cool with heavy metal sheets placed on top (prevents plastic from warping as it dries)
remove dried polystyrene sheet from metal frame and use a metal blade to smooth the edges

STEP 13.

Cut plastic sheets in half.

measure and mark half of the plastic sheet
cut the polystyrene sheets in half using a large slicer

STEP 14.

Heat plastic sheets.

adjust metal rods on machine to thickness of bench slats needed, about 3cm
adjust ruler pointer on machine (about 80cm) on both ends
turn on machine and let the metal string heat up (about 15 minutes)
place plastic sheet aligned with ruler and on top of metal strings
close the upper metal strings over the plastic sheet
let the plastic heat for 2min20sec
remove the sheet with heat resistant gloves

STEP 15.

Mold plastic sheet into a bench slat.

quickly place heated plastic sheet over wood piece (about 3cm in width)
use clamps to secure the sheet and make sure it dries in a hollow rectangular shape ("U")
turn on a fan nearby to speed up the drying process (about 15sec to dry)

STEP 16.

Cut and trim wood spacers for bench seat.

using 2x4" wood pieces, cut in 1/2 using a vertical saw??
cut the above pieces to 3in in length
smooth the sides of the 3in pieces with a planar saw
insert two 3in pieces at the ends of the plastic slats
repeat this process until you have about 64 3in wood pieces

STEP 17.

Drill holes through the bench seat components.

with wood glue, attach two pieces of 2x4 wood to a wood sheet, creating a 90degree angle and let fully dry
place the plastic slat from STEP 16 into the 90degree angle
align the 3/8in diameter drill with the end of the plastic slat, the hole will be created through both sides of the plastic "U" and the 3in wood piece
repeat this for both ends of the plastic slat
repeat this process for all plastic slats (about 32)

STEP 18.

Cut and trim wood spacers for between plastic bench slats.

using 1x4" wood pieces, cut into 5in (in length) pieces using a saw
repeat this for each 1x4" wood piece, you will have about 24 pieces total

STEP 19.

Buy the pieces needed for the frame of the bench at Reno Depot and/or Home Depot.

Buy:
- 5x 1x4" wood, 8ft in length
- 5x 2x4" wood, 8ft in length
- 2x 2x6" wood, 8ft in length
- 3x metal rods 3/8in in diameter
- 20x 3/8-16 size cap nuts
- 20x 3/8 size washers
- 4x small L-brackets
- 1x box of wood screws of 8x1 1/2 size
- 1x box of wood screws of 8x3 size

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