Students of the Degree in Industrial Ecotechnologies manufacture surfboards with cardboard core to avoid the emissions generated by polyurethane
Students of the Degree in Industrial Ecotechnologies manufacture surfboards with cardboard core to avoid the emissions generated by polyurethane
Students of the Degree in Industrial Ecotechnologies manufacture surfboards with cardboard core to avoid the emissions generated by polyurethane
The end-of-semester project focused on the design and manufacture of a more environmentally sustainable product
In its entire process Students of the third year of the Degree of Engineering in Ecotechnologies in Industrial Processes taught at the Orona Ideo campus showed that it is possible to manufacture surfboards with cardboard cores. This is the challenge in which they were immersed for eight weeks and in which they worked on the analysis, design and manufacture of the boards.
The simulation and manufacture of surfboards, which also includes a lightweight system for transport by bicycle, is part of the end-of-semester project that students must develop. It is part of the project-based learning (PBL) method, which is based on the resolution of real-life problems applied in all engineering areas of Mondragon Unibertsitatea.
Starting from the corrugated cardboard pieces of the surfboard core, future engineers were asked to conduct simulations with the boards to know how many layers of fiberglass were required on the core in order to meet the specifications required by teachers, and then finally manufacture the surfboard in the most sustainable way possible.
The aspects valued by the professor include the quality of the board (smooth or with paraffin); its stability in water; correct insulation of the structure after surfing; fixed or removable board fin; stability of the board on the grid on which they were designed; and if the grid serves other uses or if it is easy to disassemble, among other variables.
Sustainable engineering
In the manufacture of any product, the need for the entire process, from beginning to end, to be as environmentally sustainable as possible must be met, and that is precisely the vision provided by the students of the Degree in Engineering in Ecotechnologies and Industrial processes.
In the world, approximately one million surfboards are manufactured using extruded polystyrene or polyurethane as their core material, giving rise to the emission of over 200,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. In recent years, certain amateur designers are beginning to use alternative materials such as wood, cork, recycled paper or cardboard to make their boards, which is why building a surfboard with cardboard as its core material is an ambitious project being carried out by the students.
