Jacob Damant

Experience · Jan 2019 – Oct 2021

Level 7 Plastics

Campus-scale plastics recycling and manufacturing venture at the University of Alberta, turning post-consumer HDPE into finished products. Became a permanent university research group in 2021.

Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer. Led design and fabrication of the recycling machinery and ran the production line.

level7plastics.com ↗

The Level 7 founders in the shop, 2022
in funding secured
$400k
sq ft of lab and production space
6,000
research-group members today
~30

Background

I co-founded Level 7 with two friends in our first year of engineering at the University of Alberta. At the end of 2017 China had stopped accepting most foreign plastic waste, closing a major export outlet for a country that already sent 86% of its plastic waste to landfill. Level 7 set out to show that recycling could happen where the waste is generated: a line compact enough to run on campus, on the university's own plastic.

Overview

We leased an off-campus shop and built the processing equipment in-house, adapting Precious Plastic's open-source designs; the commercial machines we evaluated were too expensive, undersized, or poorly matched to the feedstock. With the line running, we moved into manufacturing, starting with climbing equipment led by a recycled-HDPE hangboard, then sheet stock, structural beams, furniture, and coasters.

The objective was always a line the university could run on its own waste. Securing it took months of proposals to the university's space and funding committees, with the off-campus line as proof of concept; the university committed $100,000. In total Level 7 raised $400,000, secured a dedicated on-campus facility with utilities installed, and commissioned an operational lab. It now continues as a permanent university research group of about 30 members.

The Level 7 lab on the University of Alberta campus, 2023, with the shredder, extruder, and injection moulder installed.
The Level 7 lab on the University of Alberta campus, 2023, with the shredder, extruder, and injection moulder installed.
Shredded post-consumer HDPE from the Level 7 line.
Shredded post-consumer HDPE from the Level 7 line.
The Level 7 shop in December 2021: assembly benches, tooling, and the recycling and moulding equipment.
The Level 7 shop in December 2021: assembly benches, tooling, and the recycling and moulding equipment.

Projects

The production shredder: gearmotor and helical reducer on the riser, jaw coupling, shredder box and hopper, control enclosure with the VFD, and the collection bin underneath.
2019–2021

Double-shaft plastic shredder (v4, production unit)

First stage of the recycling line: a double-shaft shredder adapted from the open-source Precious Plastic design. The third of three builds, following a paper-shredder proof of concept and a small prototype.
The sheet press: stainless top, aluminium-extrusion frame, hydraulic jack underneath, and the control panel with six temperature controllers and a main isolator.
2019–2021

Heated sheet press for recycled HDPE (compression moulding)

Heated hydraulic press that compression-moulds shredded HDPE into large sheets, the stock for Level 7's hangboards and furniture. Still in service with the university research group.
The extruder: gearmotor and jaw coupling driving the screw from the right, feed hopper, barrel under a slotted guard, and a control box with a VFD, three temperature controllers, and an isolator.
2019–2021

Screw extruder for recycled HDPE beams

Single-screw extruder, gear-driven, used primarily to produce recycled-HDPE beams for construction materials.
The injection moulder: vertical aluminium-extrusion frame, red hydraulic bottle jacks, plunger rod and feed funnel above the guarded barrel, and a control box with two temperature controllers.
2019–2021

Hydraulic injection moulder for recycled HDPE

Compact injection moulder driven by a hydraulic press, used with custom steel moulds for product parts.
The Level 7 hangboard, our flagship product: a wooden board with grips lined in pressed recycled HDPE.
2019–2021

Recycled-HDPE product line (hangboard, tables, chairs)

Products machined from recycled-HDPE sheet off the Level 7 sheet press. The climbing hangboard (The Chalkboard) and furniture were the core lines; Level 7 also built a trad gear organizer for a sporting goods company and sold coasters and a guitar body.

My contribution

I led machine design and fabrication. I adapted four Precious Plastic designs (shredder, sheet press, injection moulder, and extruder), produced the CAD in Fusion 360 and SolidWorks, and cut nearly every part myself on a waterjet and a FabLight fibre laser. I assembled the machines and did the electrical with two other engineers; another engineer assisted with the welding. I also designed the product line, ran production alongside the team, including CNC machining of finished goods, and led a team of about 20.

Highlights

  • Co-founded a plastics recycling venture and took four open-source machine designs (shredder, sheet press, injection moulder, extruder) to working production units: CAD in Fusion 360, waterjet and fibre-laser cutting of every part, assembly, wiring, and commissioning.
  • Led a team of about 20 students on machine assembly and production, and worked the line myself: sorting, washing, pressing, and CNC-routing products from pressed sheet.
  • Rewired all machines with CSA-approved components and enclosures after the first electrical build failed inspection.
  • Ran a five-stage line (sorting, shredding, washing, melting, moulding) processing 250 kg of HDPE per week.
  • Set up 6,000 sq ft of lab and industrial space and put $150,000 into custom machinery builds, utilities, and interns.
  • Secured $400,000 in grant funding and managed its budgeting and reporting.
  • Designed the product line made from pressed recycled-HDPE sheet: a climbing hangboard, tables, and chairs, cut on a CNC router; also extruded beams for construction materials.

Lessons learned

  • The first electrical build failed CSA inspection on non-approved enclosures and components. We re-specified every machine with CSA-approved parts and rewired the line.

Key figures

Capital funding secured (EMSO, EPGF, APIRG, Green Fund, Faculty of Engineering)$400,000 CAD
Laboratory and industrial space set up6,000 sq ft
Spent on custom machinery builds, utilities, and interns$150,000 CAD
Line processing capacity250 kg/week
Plastic diverted in first year50,000 bottle equivalents (591 mL)
Micro-recycling centres commissioned2 facilities
Team size (direct reports)about 20 people
Machines designed or adapted and built4 machines (shredder, sheet press, injection moulder, extruder)
University of Alberta funding (included in the total)$100,000 CAD
Members today (as a university research group)about 30 members

Tools and processes

Materials
HDPE from post-consumer packaging; soap containers; toys
Processes
sorting; shredding; washing; melting; compression moulding; injection moulding; extrusion; CNC routing of pressed sheet
Tools
Fusion 360 (primary); SolidWorks; waterjet; FabLight fibre laser; plasma cutter; CNC router; table router; saws; drill press