A groundbreaking startup has developed an innovative way to produce high-quality plastic products, including water tanks and boat frames, using the renewable energy of the sun.
This incredible innovation not only offers an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional manufacturing methods but also introduces a portable factory system that can be shipped and deployed anywhere in the world using standard shipping containers.
This breakthrough technology has the potential to revolutionize production in a variety of settings, from disaster relief efforts to rural development initiatives, by providing a flexible and sustainable manufacturing solution.
The startup, known as Light Manufacturing, has created a technology called Solar Rotational Molding (SRM). In simple terms, SRM involves placing raw plastic material into a mold and then heating it using concentrated sunlight.
The sunlight is focused on the mold through a bank of 30 specially designed mirrors known as heliostats. These mirrors automatically adjust their orientation throughout the day to continuously direct sunlight onto the mold as the sun moves across the sky. This creative approach not only harnesses the power of the sun but also reduces reliance on traditional energy sources, making it a cost-effective and eco-friendly manufacturing solution.
Karl von Kries, the founder of Light Manufacturing and the inventor of SRM, has a background in rotational molding from his previous work with a Massachusetts-based company that specialized manufacturing flight cases. His journey into entrepreneurship began when he became increasingly aware of the energy costs associated with traditional molding processes.
“Back then I found it strange that we were paying for a lot of natural gas, but in the summer months, the roof of the factory was well over 130 degrees Fahrenheit,” he explained in an interview with GNN. This observation, coupled with the impact of watching the documentary An Inconvenient Truth, led him to explore alternative methods for capturing and utilizing solar heat in the molding process.
“I wondered if there was some way to capture that solar heat,” von Kries said. Initially, he assumed that someone had already attempted to use solar energy for rotational molding and dismissed it as impractical.
However, after conducting through research, he discovered that there was no existing literature n solar rotational molding. This realization prompted him to establish a new company with the initial goal of proving that the concept would not work.
“I assumed that this idea had been tried before, and was found impractical. But I couldn’t find anything in the literature about solar rotational molding, so I set up a new company to ‘prove the idea would NOT work’ so I could get on with my career,” he recounted.
Surprisingly, the experiment did not fail as expected. “We made some pretty low-quality parts at first, but we kept iterating, and by 2014 we were molding high-quality plastic parts and had landed several critical patents,” Von Kries explained.
The success of the SRM technology demonstrated its potential to produce durable and reliable plastic products without the need for conventional energy sources.
Von Kries envisions SRM as a powerful tool for addressing the needs of rural areas in developing countries, particularly in the production of essential plumbing equipment like pipes and rainwater catch tanks.
“Currently our biggest system, the SRM4, can mold tanks up to 2,000 gallons / 7,500 liters. Each system can mold thousands of tanks a year… and of course, smaller tanks can be molded as well,” he noted. The ability to manufacture these critical items on-site in remote locations could have a profound impact on improving access to clean water and sanitation in underserved communities.
The entire SRM system is ingeniously designed to be self-contained within a shipping container. The mold is mounted on a rotational axis inside the container, along with all necessary control panels and electrical components. This compact and portable design eliminates the need for a permanent foundation or base, requiring only a single acre of flat, cleared ground for setup.
“All costs accounted for, our systems are one-tenth the cost of deploying a traditional molding system in a factory building,” von Kries emphasized. The affordability and simplicity of the SRM system make it an attractive option for a wide range of applications, for temporary relief efforts in disaster-stricken areas to long-term development projects in remote regions.
The operational efficiency of the SRM system further enhances its appeal. With just a two-person crew, the system’s operating costs are exceptionally low. Additionally, the cost of finished products is 20-30% lower than those produced using traditional methods because the SRM system does not require natural gas for heating.
This reduction in production costs, combined with the system’s portability and environmental benefits, positions Light Manufacturing’s technology as a game-charger in the plastic manufacturing industry.
Currently, Light Manufacturing has already deployed an SRM system in Hawaii, where it is actively producing high-quality plastic products. This initial deployment serves as a proof of concept, demonstrating the viability and effectiveness of the SRM technology in a real-world setting.
As the company continues to refine and expand its operations, the potential applications of SRM are vast, ranging from supporting disaster relief efforts with portable production facilities to empowering rural communities with the tools needed to improve their infrastructure.
Watch how it works in the video below:
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