What are electric toothbrushes made of?
Electric toothbrushes take 11 things directly, among them ABS plastic, vulcanized rubber, copper wire, neodymium magnet, printed circuit board and microchip. Trace them back and you pass 68 made things on the way to 32 raw materials.
How electric toothbrushes are made See it on the map
What goes straight in
- ABS plasticat Mold the handle
- Vulcanized rubberat Mold the handle
- Copper wireat Wind the motor
- Neodymium magnetat Wind the motor
- Printed circuit boardat Build the electronics
- Microchipat Build the electronics
- Solderat Build the electronics
- Nylonat Tuft the bristles
- Steelat Tuft the bristles
- Lithium-ion cellat Fit the battery and seal
- Siliconeat Fit the battery and seal
From the ground: 32 raw materials
- Air through ABS plastic
- Natural rubber latex through vulcanized rubber
- Sulfur through vulcanized rubber
- Rare earth ore through neodymium magnet
- Water through silicone
- Silica sand through silicone
- Crude oil through ABS plastic, propylene
- Natural gas through ABS plastic, ethylene
- Iron ore through ABS plastic, pigment
- Copper ore through lithium-ion cell, copper
- Nickel ore through lithium-ion cell, nickel
- Zinc ore through neodymium magnet, zinc
- Limestone through printed circuit board, fiberglass
- Quartz through microchip, silicon wafer
- Tin ore through solder, tin
- Coal through lithium-ion cell, aluminum
- Gold ore through microchip, gold
- Lead ore through solder, silver
- Silver ore through solder, silver
- Dolomite through steel, magnesium
- Manganese ore through lithium-ion cell, manganese
- Lithium brine through lithium-ion cell, lithium carbonate
- Spodumene through lithium-ion cell, lithium carbonate
- Cobalt ore through lithium-ion cell, cobalt
- Timber through silicone, metallurgical silicon
- Titanium ore through ABS plastic, pigment, titanium dioxide
- Rock salt through printed circuit board, epoxy, chlorine
- Trona through printed circuit board, fiberglass, soda ash
- Bauxite through lithium-ion cell, aluminum, alumina
- Corn through printed circuit board, fiberglass, soda ash, carbon dioxide
- Sugarcane through printed circuit board, fiberglass, soda ash, carbon dioxide, baker's yeast, molasses
- Sugar beet through printed circuit board, fiberglass, soda ash, carbon dioxide, baker's yeast, molasses
Made along the way: 57 things
Metals 15
Chemicals and fuels 29
NaphthaPropyleneAmmoniaBenzeneEthyleneStyrenePigmentCarbon blackOxygen gasNitric acidQuicklimeArgonSynthetic graphiteMethanolHydrochloric acidHydrogenTolueneTitanium dioxideSulfuric acidSoda ashPhenolAcetoneChlorineCaustic sodaPetroleum cokePropaneCharcoalCarbon dioxideFormaldehyde