• DESIGN new technologies, products and markets.
• RENEW recycled materials into new products.
• REVIVE local and regional circular economies.

Snploc is seeking help through this program to write a business plan and attract a team.  From the letter of intent:

“I invented Snploc® (patent pending) while building my home. When it came to plumbing, I imagined a better way which I explain later. To develop this product, manufacture it, and market it, Snploc® will use the Precious Plastics, www.preciousplastic.com business model.

Snploc® fittings can be made from PVC. PVC is not recycled. Most other plastics are vastly under recycled. This adds to a long lasting environmental disaster. The development of Snploc®, its manufacture, marketing, and sales can divert PVC plastic wastes into long lasting, high value, Snploc fittings.

The Precious Plastic Workspace (PPW), open source business model is the template for manufacturing of Snploc® with minimal capital costs. Snploc® will organize PPWs in small to medium rural economies in cooperation with the schools, activity centers, Maker communities, and entrepreneurs. Capital will be raised locally and through crowd funding that will establish the operation of a joint Precious Plastic / Snploc workspace. The two workspaces will strengthen each other. Precious Plastics Makerspace on one side and Snploc® manufacturing space on the other. Snploc® provides equipment set up, maintenance, collection and administration and the PPW provides talent, social networking, and crowd sourced capital.

Scaling up manufacturing using a minimal capital will in part be accomplished through a process of self replication using an automated, precision, CNC “Rock-n-Roll Mill”. The Rock-n-Roll will be capable of producing precision parts for the entire workspace out of scrap material if available. Equipment will be based on open source designs and a modified injection molder by Medium Machinery, mediummachinery.com under patent held by Levon Joseph Fiore. Mill code instructions, education, and support will be supplied by Snploc®. Equipment and parts will be sold into the Precious Plastic, Maker, and small manufacturer marketplace.

The Rock-n-Roll Mill will produce precision molds for production of Snploc®, to sell to small manufacturers, and for its sister PPWs. Snploc designs will be disseminated throughout the network electronically, be cut into new molds, and go into production at each location with support from the network. Designs can originate anywhere on the network and be cut into molds everywhere enabling mass production on a global scale, strengthening small to medium economies, reducing plastic waste, while reducing capital and operating costs.

Snploc® is an important innovation to plumbing, construction, remodeling, and repair, saving time and money. A number of problems exist in plumbing of unthreaded pipes with fittings. One example is that, initially mating the fitting and pipe, can be accomplished by pushing the small female fitting over the long male pipe. As plumbing and constructing progresses, pipes and fittings become fixed within building structures, and mating can only be accomplished by pushing the larger male pipe into the female fitting. This requires a movement along the pipe’s longitudinal axis and presents significant challenges for the plumbing, constructing, and repair process. Difficulties increase with diameter and rigidity of the pipe. These problems include, but aren’t limited to, increased cutting into the building structure. This escalates costs and slows the process. Similar or related difficulties include and occur in the repair process, constructing complex 3 dimensional geometries, dry fitting, and in the repair of conduit containing an existing wire. Snploc®, addresses these difficulties with an innovation that saves time and money. The Snploc® fitting is snapped around the pipe with a lateral movement. This holds the pipe in the proper orientation. Next a lock collar snaps into place, locking and sealing it. This simpler way of mating pipe and fitting using a lateral movement saves time and money. Snploc® can be applied to any kind or size of pipe.”