MCB 3053

ENG INEE RING TE AM PROJE CT

G ROU P 3
TITLE

ALU MINIU M CAN FLING MACHINE

GROUP MEMBERS
RATANASHANGKARI A/P CHANDRAN
LIEW QIAO JUN
WAN EKHALIFAH WAN MOHD SHUHAIMI
RAIHAN AMALINA MOHD SHARFRI
KODAI OKUZONO
TAKEHIRO FURUICHI

18123
18478
18239
18084
AEISE,
ECI,

SUPERVISOR
DR DEREJE ENGIDA WOLDEMICHAEL
SENIOR LECTURER, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

TABLE O F CO NTENTS

PAGE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

ABSTRACT

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Project Work

1.2 Problem Statement

1.3 Objectives

1.4 Literature Review

CHAPTER 2: PROJECT MANAGEMENT

2.1 Task Allocation

2.2 Organizational Chart

2.3 Gantt Chart

CHAPTER 3: PROCEDURE AND ANALYSIS

3.1 Project Planning and Implementation

10

3.2 Methodology / Approach to Solution

11

3.3 Hardware and Software Used

12

CHAPTER 4: ENGINEERING ANALYSIS

4.1 Structure View

13

4.2 Mechanical Design Analysis

18

4.3 Electronic circuit

24

4.4 Prototype

25

CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION OF RESULT AND FINDINGS

5.1 Results/Data Gathering

26

5.1 Functionality Test

27

5.2 Business/Economic Consideration

28

CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

6.1 Recommendation

29

6.2 Conclusion

29

REFERENCES

30

ACKNO WLED GEMENT

We would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude to our supervisor,
Dr. Dereje Engida Woldemichael from the Mechanical Engineering Department for his great
assistance throughout the past 12 efficient weeks of the Engineering Team Project completion. He
was the main person behind the success of this project, as he posed us with challenges and advices
in every meeting that allowed us to push beyond our boundaries and generate better ideas as well
as solutions to improve our project in every aspect. Without his constant guidance, this project
may not have been successfully completed.
Furthermore, we would also like to express our utmost appreciation towards the
Engineering Team Project coordinator, Dr. Hilmi bin Hussain, along with Professor Uemura, Dr.
Toru and Dr. Natta from KOSEN Japan who have provided us constant guidance and a platform to
build our ideas during the brainstorming session throughout the 2-weeks UTP-KOSEN
Collaboration Program. We received appropriate and functional guideline which have been very
handy for the completion of our project, which allowed us to carry out the project in a more
effective and efficient manner.
Besides that, special credits should be awarded to all group members of Group 3, namely
Khalifah, Raihan, Daphne, Ratana, Kodai and Takehiro for their high cooperation and anticipation
to ensure that this project becomes a success. With excellent leadership skills and strong
teamwork among all team members, all work progress has been accomplished on time according
to our Gantt chart. Apart from that, we would also like to thank all the lecturers who are involved
directly and indirectly in assisting us throughout the whole project. Not forgetting the judges
involved who have spent his precious time on evaluating our project in a professional manner.
Ratana Shangkari A/P Chandran
Liew Qiao Jun
Wan Ekhalifah Wan Mohd Shuhaimi
Raihan Amalina Mohd Sharfri
Kodai Okuzono
Takehiro Furuichi

ABSTRACT
Can you imagine a world with sustainable resources that are readily available from time to
time? Let us take our daily used aluminium cans as an example. Recycling aluminium uses only
around 5% of the energy and emissions needed to make it from the raw material bauxite. The
metal can be recycled time and time again without loss of properties, so getting the aluminium
recycling habit is one of the best things we can do for the environment.
It is inevitable that recycling has been one of the biggest issues and contributed to poor
waste management in Malaysia. Solutions are being implemented from time to time to enhance
the recycling culture, however we are still far behind in terms of producing environmentally
sensitive community. Hence, with our team project Aluminium Can Fling Machine, we aspire to
reduce the recycling problem that is prominent in our country through the target focus of
university students. Our team project is packaged as an attractive and interactive can separating
machine that allows students to play a basketball game through inserting their used aluminium
cans into the system.
This project specifically aims to ensure the separating process for aluminium cans from
other wastes is more interactive and interesting while cultivating the culture of recycling
aluminium cans among university students. We use three keywords to shape our project,
INTERACTIVE, EFFECTIVE and ORANGE.
Interactive. This machine is inspired by a public interest game called Angry Birds, where
users can shoot their own aluminium crushed cans into the basketball net by controlling the
catapult properties. Effective, because it allows users to crush their can through mechanical
means before shooting them to the net, which eventually saves a lot of time and energy of workers
and companies for this process. Last but not least, the orange symbolizes the colour of the
recycling bin of aluminium. This machine serves attract users to continuously separate their
aluminium cans from other wastes, rather than throwing them into conventional dustbins, which
greatly aid in the process of recycling aluminium cans that serves great deal to sustain our
resources for the future generation.

CHAPTER 1: INTRO D UCTIO N

1.1 BACKGROUND OF PROJECT WORK
In the month of September, our team had a golden opportunity to visit Japan in conjunction
to our engineering team project, where we collaborated with KOSEN students to generate the
idea and implementation plan of our project. One of the good case practice we discovered as a
team about Japan was the technological advancements of the country to sustain its natural
resources, as well as the strong culture of Japanese people to reduce, reuse and recycle their
wastes. We made a comparison study with Malaysia, where we found out that Malaysians
generally do not practice recycling for various reasons, one of the most important one being lack
of awareness about the importance of recycling.
Generally, The Encyclopedia states that 24 million tonnes of aluminium cans is produced
annually in the world, but 25% (6 million tonnes) that worth 36,000,000 is thrown away each
year in conventional dustbins without being recycled, and go to landfill.

Recycling 1kg of

aluminium saves up to 6 kg of bauxite, 4 kg of chemical products, and most importantly 14kWh of

electricity. With such great importance the action of recycling aluminium has, it is necessary that
action is taken to allow more percentage of aluminium can is separated and recycled.
Our team has also decided to generate and distribute surveys to UTP students on the
recycling culture in UTP to identify how serious is the problem in a small scale. With that, we found
that 60% out of 80 respondents rarely recycle their wastes, and when gauged the reason, 47%
person of them agreed that it was not interesting, while another 42% said that recycling their
wastes does not cross their mind. This has directed us to the part of thinking that we have a
cultural problem to solve among the students of UTP in terms of understanding the importance of
separating and recycling their wastes, especially aluminium cans.

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) aims to be a sustainable campus by creating a
vibrant campus with high quality of life while respecting the need to sustain natural resources and
protect the environment. In conjunction to this, there is a prominent issue in UTP, which is the
poor recycling culture among UTP students. It is inevitable that there are recycling bins located in
cafeterias, public spots and designated academic blocks such as Pocket C, Pocket D, as well as
other lecture areas around the university. However, there is a lack of response from students in
utilizing these recycling bins when it comes to throwing their everyday used items that are
recyclable, such as papers, plastic bags and bottles, as well as used aluminium cans.
Referring to one of the most common recyclable item which is the aluminium can, plenty of
used can are thrown into conventional dustbin everyday by UTP students. Based on a verbal
survey conducted in UTP, it is found that an average student drink 1-2 cans per day, leading to at
least 80% of the thousands of aluminium cans used per day thrown into conventional dustbins
rather than recycling bins.
Pertaining to this issue, this project aims to produce an attractive and interactive can
separating system that allows user to play a game through putting used cans to recycle. The scope
of the proposed technology is the separation of aluminium can from other materials. This
technology has a primary aim to inculcate the culture of separating wastes among UTP students
by providing an interesting hands-on approach to separate and throw aluminium can that has the
capability to grab the attention of students to recycle more in a proper way.

1.3 OBJECTIVES
This project specifically aims to:
1)

To ensure the separation process for aluminium cans is more interactive and
interesting

2)

To inculcate the culture of recycling aluminium cans among university students

3)

To ensure separation of aluminium cans from other wastes is done at source for an
effective 3R process

1.4 LITERATURE REVIEW

Recycling is a term to describe the procedure by which waste is collected, sorted and
processed into new materials and then manufactured into new products (Prestin and Pearce,
2010). Recycling has many benefits than can be useful in the long term, environmentally and
economically. The benefits are helping to reduce the demand of resources and energy, reducing
the need for more land to be converted into landfill sites, reducing pollution and greenhouse gases,
and protecting the natural habitat.
Recycling aluminium cans
According to Novelist Recycling UK, the aluminium drink can is the worlds most recycled
packaging container. There are many advantages of recycling aluminium cans. Recycling
aluminium requires 95% less energy, and produces 95% fewer greenhouse gas emissions (GHG)
than manufacturing primary aluminium.
Novelist Recycling UK also stated that Recycling 1 tonne of aluminium avoids the emission
of about 9 tonnes of CO2 emissions just 1 tonne of CO 2 is equivalent to driving nearly 3,000
miles. The metal is used in buildings, transport and other industrial applications, as well as
packaging. They are also used to make cast items such as engine components, where it makes a big
contribution to making vehicles lighter and more energy efficient.
In Malaysia, the most common type of cans used are: 2-Piece Slim Retortable Aluminium
Can and 3-Piece Beverage Can. Aluminium cans are lightweight, stackable, cheap, filled easily, and
uses shelf space more efficiently, while beverage cans are made of aluminium (75% of worldwide
production) or tin-plated steel (25% worldwide production).

The recycling culture among Malaysians

As early as 1993, Ministry of Housing and Local Government has launched a recycling
program as one initiative to overcome waste management problem (Ta Wee, 2010). However, until
now there are not many improvements in Malaysian recycling program and it can be considered
still in infancy stage. The awareness of the practice is still very low in Malaysian society and most
are not involved in the practice, especially in rural areas.
According to statistics provided by the Housing and Local Government Ministry, less than
5% of waste was being recycled by Malaysian while approximately 95% of waste including rubbish,
bottle and paper were sent to the landfills around the country (The Star, 2011). According to
Krishnamoorthy (2011), Malaysian produced 19,000 tons of waste daily and expected to increase
to 30,000 tons by 2020. Despite of the high economic growth and rapid industrialization, the level
of waste management in Malaysia is still left behind.
This crucial issue not only needs proper management and effective solutions but also need
to be tackled from the fundamental cause. The most viable solutions to this issue is throw away
less, recycle more and separate waste at its source. The massive amount of waste could be
reduced if more Malaysian participating in recycling. Besides, fewer landfills will be needed if less
amount of waste generated and it also contributes to extending the lifespan of the landfill.

CHAPTER 2: PRO JECT MANAGEMENT

2.1 TASK ALLOCATION

The table below shows the task allocation for each member of the group:
Group Members

EKHALIFAH

Task Allocation
Plan and manage details of weekly tasks

Monitor the tasks to ensure that all members have completed

their tasks according to schedule

Chairs all meetings

Provide logistics for the project

Provide support in Chemical engineering related field and beyond
that

RATANA

RAIHAN

DAPHNE

TAKEHIRO

KODAI

Ensure the team does not miss any requirement of the project and
attend all briefing and seminar

Record data and any errors in experiment

Prepare presentation slide and poster design

Responsible in mechanical design of prototype and construction

Documentation which includes log book, progress report and etc.

Record group activities

Synchronize all the system so that it will work smoothly

Responsible in doing detailed electronic parts in the prototype

Manage project accounts and document for settlement of project

claim

Ensure the prototype is in accordance with budget

Purchase all components needed for the prototype

Design the prototype using CAD and simulation

Help in structural part

Making a structural analysis of the overall component of

prototype
Sketch design of general overview of equipment

Execute additional research on advantages and disadvantages of

materials and project

GENERAL TASK

Construction of the structural part

Selection of the best design for prototype

Modification and finalization of prototype

Prototype assembly and testing

2.2 ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

Dr. Dereje Engida

Woldemichael
(Supervisor)

Khalifah
(Group Leader, Prototype
Fabrication Responsible)

Raihan
(Mechanical Design
Responsible)

Daphne
(Electrical & Electonics
System Responsible)

Ratana
(Design and
Documentation
Responsible)

2.3 GANTT CHART

Elements
Finalize mechanism
Project proposal
Purchasing materials
Material testing
Component building
-

W1

W2

W3

W4

W5

W6

W7

/
/
/

/
/
/

W8

W9

/
/

W10

W11

Separator
Spring based

catapult
- Can crusher
- System Design
First draft test and
troubleshooting
Final draft test
Final Report &
Poster
Prototype presentation

CHAPTER 3: PRO CED URE AND ANALYSIS

3.1 PROJECT PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION

/
/

Below are the illustration and details of our project planning and implementation:

Problem
Definition

Design
Finalization

Feasibility studies

Research and
Design

Conceptual
Design

Prototype
Fabrication

Data Analysis

Decision Making

Finalization

Steps

Remarks

o
1

Problem Definition

Searching for the problem related to UTP students environment

Problem Definition

issue
Defining the problem more precisely, and stating the major

Data Analysis

problem and cause

Managing data (obtained through survey and observation) and

Decision Making

stating a proved hypothesis

Constructing a few solution based on the obtained problem

Conceptual Design

definition and survey data

Aiming to design a mechanism based on people interest and

6
7

Design Finalization
Feasibility studies

environments needs
Prcising the mechanism of each component
Testing and improving the proposed mechanism using simple

Prototype Fabrication

model
Fabricating the prototype beginning from major to minor

Project Finalization

components. Most of the work is done at carpenter work station

Finalizing the project with some troubleshooting and

improvement, illustrating with clear documentation

3.2 METHODOLOGY/APPROACH TO SOLUTION

The first step is identifying the problem statement through discussion and analysis.
Research was done to get the main idea and background of the problem. In our case, after
brainstorming and discussing several problems that we observed occurring in the university, we
have identified the existing problems related to the culture of recycling among students in UTP.
The problems are as stated in the Problem Statements section of this report:

Segregation of waste in UTP is very poor, leading to poor waste management and increases
in amount of waste produced per day

Students are neither aware of the importance of recycling nor interested to practice
recycling in their daily lives

Hence, we came up with some innovative and unique solutions that could possibly counter the
problem. According to the information gathered, we released a survey to obtain some data of the
recycling culture in UTP. Through the survey, we found out that students are not interested to
recycle as recycling itself lacks the unique and attractive factor to boost their interest to recycle,
for example, the arrangement of the bins which is simple and not interactive, as students of the
new generation always crave for entertainment.
We continued the data analysis through identifying the different separation methods of
aluminium cans applied all around the world. We did a continuous analysis of the current market
on availability of our machine, and how our product can be more superior than the existing
technologies. Based on that, we have decided to create an interactive system that allows them to
play a game through recycling aluminium cans, which is the Aluminium Can Fling Machine.
Based on that, conceptual designs have been proposed. Next, we continued on reviewing the
possibility of alternatives components. Basically, we eliminated certain components which have a
potential risk and costs on the application of the prototype. After consulting with our supervisor
about our device, we chose to select the most suitable components as well as their configuration
required to improve the whole design.

3.3 HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE USED

Mechanical Design components:
No

Component

Description

1
2

Separating Channel
Can crusher

Used to separate the aluminium can from other materials

Used to compressed the aluminium can to smaller size

Wood, Metal
3

linkages, screws
Spring based

A system that allows the crushed can to be thrown into the

Catapult

basketball net

Wood, Metal hook,

Spring, Screws,
4
5

Switch
Basketball net
Perspex

The area where users target to enter the crushed can

Main body

Electrical and Electronics components:

No
1

Component
IR LED,

Description
An electronic device or sensor which functions as proximity

2
3
4

Phototransistor
Servo motor
Circuit board
Potentiometer

sensor
To control the catapult
To interconnected circuits and electrical components
To control the angle of the servo motor for the adjustment of

5
6
7

Buzzer
Switch
Electronic

tension angle.
To play the music during the process
For the shooting purpose and also to reset the program
To measure the voltage, current and resistance of the circuitry

multimeter
Electronic solder

To connect the electronic components to the electronic board

CHAPTER 4: ENGINEER ING ANALYSIS

4.1 STRUCTURE VIEW

Design of Prototype
Aluminium Can Fling Machine is an innovative of a recycling bin focusing on attracting
users attention to collect aluminium cans by playing catapult game. The whole system consists of
4 main parts which are the entry channel, can crusher, catapult and the dustbin.

1. Concept
Design of
Prototype
8. CAD Drawing

2. Design Sketch

7. Modification

3. 3D Modelling

6. Prototype
Testing

4. Experimental
Prototype
5. Fabrication

Design Flow

Concept of Aluminium Can Fling Machine

1) User inserts can into

entry channel

2) User crushes the can

manually using the pedal

4) User shoots the

crushed can into the net

5) Crushed can is
collected in the dustbin

3) User adjusts the

spring tension of the
catapult

Sketching of Prototype
The design of our prototype is based on the ideas obtained from the brainstorming session. The
following figures show the sketching of the prototype on paper to illustrate the concept of
prototype.

3D View of prototype

Front, Top and Side View of Aluminium Can Fling Machine Design

Three Dimensional (3D) Modelling

The design was illustrated in 3-dimension modeling using the software AUTOCAD so that
the design can been seen clearly with respective dimension.

4.2 MECHANICAL DESIGN ANALYSIS

Entry Channel

Entry Channel Sketch

The components of the channel are designed based on these considerations:
1) It is made from coil wire and used bottle (Cost efficient)
2) The length is 70 cm. It is designed to provide effective angle for the tin can to slide down
into crusher column.
3) The width is 5 cm. It is designed to fit the slimmer tin can so that it will not fall down. The
bigger tin can will not be a problem.
4) Any bigger objects will be stuck at the inlet, while any smaller objects will fall down
through the channel to another bin below the channel.

Can Crusher
The can crusher is used to crush aluminium cans into smaller pieces before it is flung by the
catapult. It is done to make storage easier and provides more space in the bin. For this project, this
can crusher applies a slider-crank as its sliding mechanism. This allows the crusher to exert a larger
amount of mechanical force to the can. The crank arm is driven by manual force, which is the foot.
To do this, a pedal is made to enable users to step on in order to drive the slider-crank forward via
the connecting link which then pushes the piston forward to crush the cans. A spring is also
attached to the base of the crusher for the returning stroke of the crusher. Implementation of
manual mechanism instead of motor as the crank driver of the crusher will prove our project to be
more green and environmental friendly.

Can Crusher Sketch

Graphical Analysis

A force initiated by users foot onto the pedal produce enough force to drive the
connecting link to push the piston forward. The spring attached can lift up the pedal to its original
position and hence returning the piston to its initial position, enabling the crushed can to elevate
downwards to reach the catapult. Kinematic drawing is done to predict the motion of the slidercrank mechanism. Based on this, necessary dimensions can be proposed through trial and error to
determine the desired and reasonable dimension of the overall can crusher to achieve the
required strok

Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a systematic method for assessing a process to verify where and how the
prototype might fail and to analyse the relative impact of different failures, in order to identify the parts or components of the prototype
that are most in need of change or redesigning. Below is the FMEA of the can crusher:
No

Description and
function

V-Belt

Failure
mode
Slipping

Failure effect
Local
System
Wear on
Notification not

Detection

Severit

method
None

y
4

Remarks
Would be better if V-

Transmit power from

sidewalls

provided when

belt could fail safe in this

a rotating driver to

of the belt

pressure is low

failure mode

produce a translating
2

motion
Sheave

Wearing

Cause

Notification not

A rotating driver to

and

underside

provided when

belt could fail safe in this

rotate the belt

misaligned

cracking

pressure is low

failure mode

Fracture

of the belt
Unable to

Notification not

handle

drive the

provided when

belt could fail safe in this

To rotate the sheave

Shaft

sheave
Unable to

pressure is low
Notification not

failure mode
Would be better if V-

To transmit rotational

transmit

provided when

belt could fail safe in this

motion horizontally

motion to

pressure is low

failure mode

to another sheave

another

Hand powered

Cracking

None

None

None

Would be better if V-

Would be better if V-

sheave
Cause bed

Notification not

To place the bed in

to be out

provided when

belt could fail safe in this

position and act as a

of position

pressure is low

failure mode

Bed casing

medium of

Slipping

None

Would be better if V-

translational motion

Catapult
The catapult mechanism is used to throw the compressed can into the basketball net. The
catapult mechanism is programmed using an Arduino UNO R3. In this catapult system, two servos
are used for the release and tension. The tension of the spring can be controlled by
potentiometers. The trigger is controlled by a push of a button which also resets automatically
after the can has been thrown. The fling servo motor "holds" down the catapult arm as it gets
tension from another servo motor. When the user hits the fling button, the fire servo just simply
moves out of the way, letting the can to fling to the basketball net.

Catapult Sketch

MATERIAL SELECTION
No
1

Component
Entrance

Functions
-

channel

To direct the flow of

aluminium cans into

the crusher
To separate

Material
-

Specifications
Strong
Ductile
Waterproof
Lightweight

Material
Selection
Coil Wire
(Aluminium)

aluminium cans with

other small trashes
2

Can Crusher

Casing

like plastics/paper
To place the crusher
block and aluminium

cans to be crushed
Attached to the

Strong
Sturdy
Withstand high

Wood

pressure

linkage system of the

3

Crusher Block

crusher
To crush the
aluminium cans

Crusher

Linkage

Linkage system to
drive the crusher
block

Crusher Pedal

To transmit force to
the crusher block to

Strong
Robust
Hardwearing
Durable
Withstand high

pressure
Lightweight
Easy to be

assembled
Strong
Withstand High

Wood with

Pressure

attached to the

crush aluminium cans

6
7

Catapult
Body & Frame

To fling the crushed

can
The overall support of

the prototype
To place all
components

Machine Cover

To cover the
prototype to be
displayed

Strong
Lightweight

Strong
Durable
Lightweight
Withstand high

pressure
Easy to be

constructed
Transparent
Strong
Lightweight

Wood

Aluminium Rod

metal bracket
linkage
Wood
Wood

Perspex

Servo Motor

To drive the catapult

Easy to be

assembled
Durable
User friendly

FAILURE MODES AND EFFECTS ANALYSIS (FMEA)

ALUMINIUM CAN FLING MACHINE
No
1

Description and function

Entrance Channel

Failure mode
Slipping

To direct the flow of aluminium

Potential Effect of
Failure
Disrupted motion of

Control is achieved

aluminium cans

with direct or random

cans into the crusher

2

Can Crusher Casing

Cracking

Misalignment of the

Control is achieved

crusher linkage

with direct or random

aluminium can to be crusher

Crusher Linkage

Remarks

check
Misalignment

Visual inspection and

Linkage system to drive the

misalignment of the

crusher block

crusher linkage

Crusher Pedal

Severity

check

To place the crusher block and

3

Detection method

Fracture

To transmit force to the crusher

Unable to crush the

Visual inspection

aluminium cans

Force applied to
the pedal must not

block to crush aluminium cans

come from the

whole body weight

Body and Frame

Unstable

The overall support of the

6

prototype
Servo Motor
To drive the catapult

The whole prototype

None

Weak or slow fling

Control is achieved

motion of the catapult

with direct or random

may topple
Overload

check

4.3 ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT

The electronic circuit of Aluminum Can Fling Machine can be divided into two parts for
specific purposes. The electronic circuit of Part A is the core part of the project. It is to program the
prototype as a game to attract the public to encourage recycling, which is the catapult with built-in
electronic circuit so that the player can shoot crushed recycled can into the basketball net by
adjusting the catapult projection angle. The materials required prior to the circuit construction are
an Arduino-Uno, a 2x16 LCD display, two servo motors, a speaker, switches, resistors, and LEDs.
With the materials, the circuit is built as shown in the picture below.

Circuit Diagram of Aluminum Can Fling Machine

The servo motors are installed at the two sides of the catapult. The front motor is
controlled by the player to adjust the projection angle of the catapult. On the other hand, the rear
motor is programmed to allow the catapult to shoot and to turn off after shooting. To enable the
control, the front motor is manipulated by a potentiometer. By turning the potentiometer fully
counterclockwise, the projection angle is 120 degrees. Slightly decreasing the projection angle,
the potentiometer is turned clockwise. The control of the rear motor to shoot or not to shoot the
crushed can is translated by a Fire switch. By pushing the Fire switch, the catapult will shoot the
crushed can into the basketball net, after adjusting the potentiometer properly. The goal results of
either SUCCESS or FAILURE depends on the projection angle set by the player, and displayed on
the score board (LCD Display).

4.4 PROTOTYPE
This is the result of the prototype fabrication:

Prototype: Aluminium Can Fling Machine

CHAPTER 5: D ISCUSSIO N O F RESULTS AND

FI ND INGS
5.1 RESULTS/DATA GATHERING

A survey entitled Recycling in UTP was distributed to UTP students through an online platform,
Google Forms. A total of 80 people responded to the survey. The results of the survey are as
follows:
1) How often do you recycle your waste in UTP?

2) If rarely, why not?

3) In your opinion, what can make recycling more attractive to people?

In a nutshell, majority of students do not find recycling interesting, while an almost

equal number of students responded that recycling does not cross their mind as an
important task daily. In terms of suggestion on the attractiveness on recycling to students,
most of the respondents mentioned that implementing a gaming system in the recycling
bin makes it more attractive to be used, thus justifies our idea of Aluminium Can Fling
Machine.

5.2 FUNCTIONALITY TEST

A functionality test has been done:
1. Can is inserted into the opening, it slides down the slanted channel to the crusher
2. The can is crushed by stepping on the paddle, it falls onto the catapult
3. The tension of the spring is adjusted using the game controller, the fire button is
pressed to release the catapult
4. The probability of crushed can entering the basketball net is 50:50, it eventually enters
the dustbin

5.3 BUSINESS/ECONOMIC CONSIDERATION

The cost breakdown of project are as follows:
Aspects

Cost (RM)

Electronic parts

135.50

Body frame (including crusher and catapult)

250.00

Building materials and tools

89.50

Backdrop

25.00
TOTAL

500.00

For mass production, the cost is expected to be reduced to MYR 300.The selling price is set to be
MYR 400 (net profit of MYR 100). Estimate production is 100 units per month.
Target market

1.

Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment (NRE)

2.

University/college

3.

District/City management

4.

Shopping Complex

Marketing Strategy
1.

Using medium of authorities for general promotion campaign (NRE, school)

2.

Introducing a reasonable and affordable price

3.

Good and interesting interface of the product

Promotional Aspect
1.

Promote the product as a new way of passive income

2.

Promote the importance of recycling through social media and poster

CHAPTER 6: CO NCLUSIO N AND

RECO MMENDATIO N
6.1 RECOMMENDATIONS
Some improvements that can be made to this project to make it more economically viable are:
Rewarding users in return of playing the game

It is suggested that users get a token such as money, or any DIY items that will be
useful for them in return to scoring the game. This can be referred to as a vending
machine concept.

Integrate separating of other recyclable wastes in machine

Apart from separating aluminium cans, papers and plastics are also crucial to be
separated and recycled to preserve the environment, thus implementing other
gaming systems that allows all three components to be separated in the same
machine makes it more interesting and ideal to be used in more places.

6.2 CONCLUSION
Catering to the younger generation, it is necessary to develop a self-sustaining project
which encourages people to recycle through a more interactive method. Pertaining to that, we
believe that the Aluminium Can Fling Machine is able to both engage and impact users to separate
their wastes, leading to better recycling management of aluminium cans. Based on the prototype
that we have constructed and the outcomes we have obtained, we can conclude that our project
have achieved its main objectives. The final prototype also had successfully functioned.
We would like to express our gratefulness that our entire project success was a great
achievement. The group progress is always in conformity with the Gantt chart, with every one
performed individual tasks and contributed to the project fully. Overall, the prototype is
functioning accordingly as we have foreseen and it is also proven to be a very successful project to
be commercialized.

REFERENCES
Krishnamoorthy, M. (2011). Teaching the young to recycle. Retrieved 5th October 2015 from
http://www.thestar.com.my/story/?file=%2F2011%2F3%2F14%2Fcentral%2F8239538

Novelist Recycling UK. Why Recycling Aluminium? Retrieved 5th October 2015 from
http://www.novelisrecycling.co.uk/novelis-recycling/why-recycle-aluminium/

Prestin, A., & Pearce, K. E. (2010). We care a lot: Formative research for social marketing campaign to
promote school-based recycling. Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 54, 1017-1026. Retrieved 5th
October from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2010.02.009

Ta Wee, S. (2010). New Perspective of Integrated Solid Waste Management in Malaysia. In

Proceeding 3rd International Conference on Human Habitat & Environment in the Malay World,
19-20 Jun 2012, UKM, Bangi.

The Star (2011). Alam Flora steps up effort to promote recycling. Retrieved 5th October 2015 from
http://www.thestar.com.my/story/?sec=central&file=%2f2011%2f1%2f26%2fcentral%2f7850436