Perancangan Alat Pencetak Paving Block Daur Ulang Plastik Berbasis Biopori untuk Mendukung Pengelolaan Limbah Plastik Berkelanjutan

Abstract

Plastic waste management remains a major environmental challenge, necessitating treatment approaches that can generate added value from waste materials. One promising approach is to convert plastic waste into paving blocks while incorporating biopores to facilitate water infiltration into the soil. This study aimed to design and evaluate a biopore-based paving block manufacturing machine using recycled plastic, with particular emphasis on productivity, product quality, process efficiency, and operator workload. The research employed a product design and work-system analysis approach, comprising needs identification, machine design, prototype fabrication, cycle-time testing, product dimensional measurements, and evaluations of productivity and work methods. The developed machine has overall dimensions of 700 × 500 × 1,000 mm and a production capacity of four paving blocks per cycle. It is operated by a single operator using a manual lever mechanism. The experimental results yielded an average cycle time of 298 s, corresponding to a theoretical production capacity of 49 paving blocks/h and an actual capacity of 46 paving blocks/h. A total of 95% of the products met the specified requirements, while 5% exhibited minor defects. The resulting paving blocks had mean dimensions of 200.4 × 100.3 × 60.5 mm, with an average biopore diameter of 30.2 mm. Compared with the conventional manual method, the developed machine reduced cycle time by 17.22%, work activities by 30%, and the operator’s primary movements by 26.67%. These findings demonstrate that the developed machine can improve productivity and process standardization while converting plastic waste into paving blocks with an additional water-infiltration function. The machine therefore shows potential as an appropriate technology for waste banks, TPS3R facilities, community-based organizations, and small-scale enterprises, particularly in supporting the implementation of circular economy principles.