Project · draft
Shoreline Microplastics Sieve Kit with Phone Microscope Stand
- beginner
- 4-6 hours + field sampling
Lets students and volunteer groups sample and count microplastics on beaches and riverbanks, building local evidence on marine litter (target 14.1).
Safety notes
- Water and tides: never sample alone, check tide times, stay out of surf and away from slippery rocks.
- Wear gloves: shorelines hide glass, needles and sharp debris. Leave shells and living creatures where they are.
- Laser cutter: never leave it running unattended, keep the lid closed and extraction on, and only cut materials your lab approves (no PVC or vinyl).
Draft and unofficial, not affiliated with Fab Academy or the United Nations. Check prices, GST and parts before you buy.
Summary
Mark out a quadrat, scoop the top layer of sand, sieve it, float it in salt water and count the pieces between 1 and 5 mm under a phone macro lens. Record results the same way each time so sites and seasons can be compared.
What it teaches
Design a nesting laser-cut sieve stack (5 mm and 1 mm stainless mesh), a sampling quadrat and a phone macro stand; use a saturated salt solution to float many common plastics out of sand, then count and photograph particles with a consistent method.
Topics it touches, in Fab Academy-style terms:
- Computer-controlled cutting
- Computer-aided design
- 3D scanning and printing
- Molding and casting (optional)
Parts list
Parts cost
Some parts are not priced yet, so there's no total.
5 required parts are marked not priced yet below. Where a price is known it is shown per part, GST-inclusive as the seller listed it on 24 Oct 2026, with the GST rate unverified. Shipping is not included.
| Part | Qty | Unit | Price, GST-incl. as listed | Line cost | GST | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cast/extruded acrylic sheet, 3 mm (laser-cut parts)acrylic-3mm-sheetSieve frames and quadrat | 2 | sheet | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| Stainless steel mesh, ~5 mm aperturemesh-stainless-5mm | 1 | sheet | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| Stainless steel mesh, ~1 mm aperturemesh-stainless-1mm | 1 | sheet | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| Clip-on phone macro lens (10-15x)phone-macro-lens-clip | 1 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| M3 x 10 mm socket head screw, stainlessscrew-m3x10-socket | 12 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| Part | Qty | Unit | Price, GST-incl. as listed | Line cost | GST | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium 1.75MM HS PLA 1 KG 3d Printer Filament - Cement grey Colourfilament-pla-1kgPhone stand; Fab Lab stock | 1 | pcs | ₹741 | ₹741 | GST unverified, typically 18% | Robocrazeread 24 Oct 2026 |
| Optional extras total, GST-inclusive as listed by the seller | ₹741 | |||||
The Part column links to the shared catalogue. Units are pcs, m, g, sheet or set, and a "set" is the seller's pack, as noted per part.
Tools you will need
- Laser cutter
- 3D printer (phone stand)
- Salt, trays, tweezers, sample bags (unpriced)
Build notes
Step-by-step build notes have not been written yet for this draft. The summary, the topics above and the parts list are what exists so far.
How to buy
There is no online checkout. To buy or import these parts, email info@curiosta.com and say what you need. The button opens your own email app with a draft; nothing is sent until you send it.
Prices on this site are third-party seller listings, not a Curiosta quote. Ask by email for availability, price and GST.