Plastic D'evolution
Post Consumer Plastic research
The project
This research is aimed at exploring what is necessary to make post consumer plastics 3D printable. This project has the added benefit of cleaning up a forest as the raw material was harvested from a local natural area that has experienced illegal dumping of plastic waste.
**This page is under development. It will be developed further as the project continues. **
Who I am
|
|
|
Where I'm at
|
What I'm doing
|
|
I can foresee a not-so-distant future in which everyone has a 3D printer in their home. If we can make post consumer plastics re-usable in a 3D printing machine, we have solved an enormous problem for plastic pollution. Suddenly plastic will become a valuable raw material that people will harvest which will effectively eliminate significant issues of plastic pollution without having to change policy or production at all.
I decided to harvest plastic waste from the forest pictured above, and use it as my first round of plastic to research using post consumer plastics as material to recycle, grind, melt, and extrude to be re-used in a 3D printer. I purchased a 3D printer, grinder, extruder, etc., with the knowledge that even if the research has limited success, I have at the very least removed plastic from a part of a forest.
I decided to harvest plastic waste from the forest pictured above, and use it as my first round of plastic to research using post consumer plastics as material to recycle, grind, melt, and extrude to be re-used in a 3D printer. I purchased a 3D printer, grinder, extruder, etc., with the knowledge that even if the research has limited success, I have at the very least removed plastic from a part of a forest.
|
Why it matters
|
The process
Follow the helpful flow chart below. |
**Visit the notes section at the bottom of this page for helpful videos regarding understanding components of the Filastruder |
Collaboration:
In an effort to facilitate research and collaboration, I also made a website. Of course, I'm not the only person with this drive. So I wanted to make a central location that we could educate one another and share our experiences. It is currently under construction, and should be complete by the end of September. If you are interested in post consumer plastic research, I invite you to stop by there. Feel free to make a profile page, ask questions, and/or share your ideas at Plastic Hackers.
**Notes:
This section offers videos and other resources to facilitate understanding for certain components of the research or build process.
Filastruder components:
(I could make an entire webpage on filastruder notes, and maybe one day I will. The instructions are severely lacking. )
(I could make an entire webpage on filastruder notes, and maybe one day I will. The instructions are severely lacking. )
- What is a PID? (good youtube video explaining it.)
- Stall protection board
When the instructions say adjust the CV CC
knobs, it means these little tiny screws here.
Resources
- http://www.nclark.net/Density_Column.pdf