Engineering Project: Flashlight from Recycled Plastic Bottles

This project focuses on creating a flashlight using recycled materials, primarily plastic bottles, to offer a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional flashlights. The project management process includes defining the project, planning (identifying the problem and solution, checking feasibility using the SCHEMES method), risk assessment, project execution (detailing necessary tools and components like plastic bottles, LED lights, wires, and batteries), and cost analysis. The cost analysis evaluates the expenses of each component, highlighting the potential for cost reduction through mass production. A Gantt chart outlines the project schedule, breaking down tasks and timelines for efficient project tracking and execution. The ultimate goal is to produce a sustainable and affordable flashlight while minimizing environmental impact by reusing waste materials.

Making flashlight using plastic bottles
1 Introduction
Eco explanation offers answers to engineering tasks and yield engineering products that are
more environmentally friendly. The key purpose is to produce engineering merchandises that
are more cost-effective and more atmosphere pleasant. The new merchandises will lessen
unwanted and utilize the reusable products thus it can be converted into more environmental
acceptable. In this research, the flash light will be prepared with the use of recycled
constituents. However, not all the constituents that will be reused but most of the quantities
will be obtained from scrap.
2 Project management
Project management is the use of procedures, techniques, understanding, expertise and know-
how to accomplish the project goals.
Figure 1: Project management steps
The subsequent phases are convoluted in project management

2.1 Project Definition:
In this research a flash light will be mass-produced by means of reused parts. The key purpose is
to produce the product simple and utilize the fragments from scrap to ensure it is cost-effective
and sustainable. Most of the portions utilized in this merchandise will be extracted from scrap
and only two batteries will be used from new-fangled components.
2.2 Planning:
Planning is a multifaceted part of project management and it contains extra chores in it that
ought to be accomplished, given in the below
2.2.1 Identify the problem: the key issue is that most of flash lights prevailing in the
marketplace are very costly and they are also not ecologically acceptable.
2.2.2 Identify the solution: There is a strong necessity to produce new flash light from waste
with the purpose that it is cost-effective and ecologically acceptable.
2.2.3 Checking the project feasibility: To determine whether this task can be accomplished or
not. In some tasks there are snags that cannot be answered in time and occasionally the
constituents are hardly obtainable. By means of SCHEMES method this task will be checked.
SCHEMES stands for
 Space Is there sufficient period to accomplish this task? Yes it can
be achieved in short period of time.
 Cash It is not costly and that is why cash is obtainable

 Helpers/People No necessity for any extra workmanship for this task
 Equipment No complex tools is required
 Materials Material are readily accessible in the market
 Expertise No exceptional drill required
 Systems No complex methods needed so it is doable easily
2.3 Risk Assessment:
Risk assessment is very significant for all tasks and it is carried out to ensure the task is harmless
to execute and it does not implicate any hazardous hazards. The staff will be working under
conducive conditions for all actions and there will be no mischief of any kind. The flashlight task
is a small venture that will be accomplished in the work room where all kind of risk valuation
has already been carried out. That is why there is no requirement for additional risk valuation
as the task is benign to carry on.
2.4 Project execution:
The next phase is to implement the project where the first assignment is to ensure that all the
essential parts are accessible.
The below tools and apparatus would be necessary to accomplish this task.
 A plastic water bottle
 A pair of scissors
 A craft knife

 A metal hacksaw
 A hot glue gun
 A handful of Popsicle sticks
 Pliers
 2 feet of 22 gauge wire
 2 Cells
 LED light
 A big cap
2.5 Cost analysis:
The cost investigation can be carried out by finding the cost of each constituent involved
Component Cost (£)
 A plastic water bottle Recycled
 A pair of scissors 1.5
 A craft knife Available
 A metal hacksaw Available
 A hot glue gun Available
 A handful of Popsicle sticks 0.50
 Pliers 0.20
 2 feet of 22 gauge wire 0.25
 2 Cells 1.50

 LED light 1.20
 A big cap Recycled
Total: 5.15
Nevertheless most materials will be accessible in the lab for free and there is no necessity to
acquire them for example hot glue gun and a craft knife. The budget can be reduced from those
materials that are already accessible.
Even this fee of £5.15 for one flash light seems excessively since it is fairly costly for one flash
light. In the market flash lights are readily accessible at much economical price and are also
more long-lasting but not ecologically acceptable. The motive is that in this instance only one
portion is to be made and that is why the budget is in large amounts. The price can be lessened
by producing a lot of merchandises also known as mass production. For instance, if 100 parts
are to be produced they may be costly since they require new machineries and trained workers
but the budget can be decreased by making 10,000 parts because same machines can be
utilized and same employees can labor for longer hours to produce larger parts. This way the
budget is decreased, else one part is continuously quite costly to produce.
Project schedule by Gantt Chart:

The project timetable is given in the below where it can be seen the task has been subdivided in
small tasks and all tasks have been executed in order. The time has been assigned for each
project task and they will be executed in the time period declared. The project progress will be
checked against this schedule to see if the project is going at right pace.
Project Schedule
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 11
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Project title research
Title finalised
Initial research work
Background study
Project planning
Drawings and sketches
Components purchased
Manufacturing and testing
Report writing
Delivered

References:
Richard Newton 2013; The Project Management Book: How to Manage Your Projects To Deliver
https://www.pmi.org/about/learn-about-pmi/what-is-project-management
https://www.axelos.com/best-practice-solutions/prince2/what-is-project-management