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The Lifecycle of CDs: From Material Acquisition to Consumer Transportation

Explore the intricate lifecycle of CDs, beginning with the acquisition of essential materials like aluminum, polycarbonate, and dyes derived from natural resources. The processing steps transform bauxite into alumina and then aluminum, while crude oil and gas create polycarbonate. Manufacturing utilizes advanced techniques to create discs embedded with digital information, followed by protective lacquering and packaging. Finally, transportation methods contribute to climate change, highlighting the environmental impact of CD production. Discover how CDs serve as vital media for music and games.

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The Lifecycle of CDs: From Material Acquisition to Consumer Transportation

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  1. CD Lifecycle Lauren, Jake, Ben, Fadil

  2. Acquiring material • Aluminum: Primary source is bauxite, which is extracted from the Earth • Polycarbonate: Made from crude oil and natural gas • Lacquer: Made from acrylic • Gold: Mined • Dyes: Made from petroleum products

  3. Processing • Bauxite is washed, crushed, dissolved, filtered, and harvested into a substance called alumina. Alumina is then smelted into aluminum. • Crude oil and natural gas are combined with other chemicals in a manufacturing processing plant.

  4. Manufacturing • An injection moldering machine creates a 1 millimeter thick piece of carbonate, which will serve as the core of the disk. • Polycarbonate shape is modified. It is then placed under high pressure, while then a stamper places tiny indentations holding digital information. These indentations are read when the CD is played in a CD player. • The plastic molds are then placed in the “metallizer”, which places a thin reflective metal layer (commonly aluminum) by the “sputtering” process. The playback laser reads this information off the reflective surface. Lacquer is then placed as a coding layer to protect the CD from external damage.

  5. Packaging • The CDs are then packaged in a plastic case. Sometimes they might be in cardboard boxes with plastic shrink-wrap covering.

  6. Transportation to the consumers • Plane, truck, or rail which requires fossil fuels for energy. This in the end contributes to climate change.

  7. Their uses • Used to hold information, music, play Playstation one games. The good stuff…

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