Can This Be Molded?

Possible with a compromise in productivity, and certainly expensive, How much?someone need to work out.

Hi Blokle

Your chances of finding an answer here are slim. What I would suggest is to contact an injection moulder in your country and discuss the matter with them. The tooling for this is going to be very elaborate and costly.

As I understand it you are looking at a die which can make a huge number of these bottles which makes the mold even more expensive (choice of steel). It also depends on what "conventional plastic" you are choosing.

Why go through all that trouble when you can have the real thing set up in no time at all?

Rest assured, it's been tried and practiced before with out complicating matters.

Wish I could help more, Ky.

It is just bottle with some new feature, so same manufacturing method.

Blow molding with mold inserts for the threaded parts if you need reliable sealing between the bottles?

I'm not a molding expert but seems doable. I guess it all depends on any cost/price point you need to meet.

Hooker

After millions of dollars of research the government has determined that anything can be made if you throw enouge money at it.

Looks nice! You have 4 days to submit it as idea on Pepsi Refresh Project www.refresheverything.com and get up to $50K to implement this idea. Do it and send us a link to vote for it. Think of design that enables bottles to be used as pipes.

I can only find four categories on the Pepsi refresh website, and this would not fit into any of them. Applications are open to US residents only, I am in the UK. If you can find funding go with it. I will give you all the help I can. Pepsi have very good working relationships with both mould makers and plastics moulders. If they are putting up $50K they may be able to talk the mould maker and plastics supplier to stump up matching funding, or at least supply to sample stage at lower than cost.

Bottles as pipes. Mould a score line into the top and base of the bottle so that they can be knocked/cut out to leave a hollow tube. Mould a male tapered thread into the circumference at the top just below the score line. Mould a female tapered thread into the base of the bottle. As the bottles are screwed together they form an interference fit that should need very little sealing.

what about "communities" category? All communities around the globe will benifit from it. I can find you somebody from USA to get the funding (for some royalties for him :) ). I'm not from USA either.

I'll grant you an "innovation gold star" for the design idea! I like it, and it would be cheaper to mold.

I may have missed what the OP said was the real intent/usage of his design plan? what is the reason for having threaded connectors on all sides?

chris

hyrmetic connection that enables inner liquid flow + abillity to make a 90 degree turn (useful for connecting ceiling or turnning pipes)

I'm not sure if you have found it or not, Chris. Here is a link to Blokle's larger plan.

Let's say this comes to fruition and a structure is fabricated and filled. Let us further say a bottle (it will be the bottom middle row, we all know it) springs a leak... repair method?

I see now...

well let me say that these connectors do not need to be threads. I would suggest moulding with built-in zipties, or 'ratcheting' snap-together connectors... and otherwise it is just 3d Lego™

but I think that for effective use of the materials, that foams will work just as well (ie styrofoam)

One general principle in engineering/architectural is to start designing from a Specifications place, and not from a materials/shape place. What I mean is that you shouldn't start with a threaded bottle. One should start with a Specification for what space is to be defined, and for what price, and if a particular material is desired, then that too. How much light is to be getting through? What is the intended R value of the insulation? What structural wind load, snow load, etc.

If you don't start with these basic questions and answers, you may as well build out of Lego™. You will have no goals, and won't know when you are done. What is the budget? etc.

If you trying to develop new building materials... then you also need to know much more about architecture and the molding and bottling industries.

It is suggested that if you dont' know the structure that can be built with botttles, that you actually build with some existing plastic bottles.. and see how the construction goes, and then you can measure the R values, structural capabilities, and UV endurance.

Without data of this sort, the whole thing is a fantasy. Starting with "Can it be molded?" is simply the wrong place to start this project.

sorry.

Chris

The design is great, and so is the thought behind it. By designing to save shipping costs, you added a value for the manufacturer and user, whether the goal or end user is a humanitarian project or not.

A f*** it, i shall loan you my glue gun.