Fluidity of plastic (2016)

The practice of separating household waste for recycling is a  widespread global phenomenon. But we are yet to see significant evidence  of ‘closing the circle’ – in the form of traditionally manufactured  products made from reconstituted waste. 3D printing offers new  opportunities for upcycling plastic in this domestic setting.

Current plastic recycling struggles to cope with the vast range of plastic types and their specific recycling qualities.

But, all ‘plastics’ are polymers, which means that through different processes they can be shaped in many different ways.

Tackling the waste stream one polymer at a time, Ross Stevens  researched using filament recycled from drink bottles (PET). His initial  research in 2015 focused on the fluidity of code and its relevance to  the industrial design process. Now he has examined the fluidity (ability  to be shaped) of plastic and what it can mean for Industrial Design and  its impact on the environment.

The benefit of plastic shapeshifting from a drink bottle to a  loudspeaker at low temperatures (approx. 200 °C) requiring considerably  less energy than glass or metal is worth future considerations. This is  perfectly matched with a computer’s ability to generate and manipulate  forms on screen. 3D printing is the simplest way of transporting these  designs from the screen into the physical world without the need for  expensive and inflexible molds.

The loudspeaker was created with generative code-based free software  (Shapeshifter in Autodesk’s 123D design) and took only 8 minutes to  create, using a modifiable template that even a child could use on a  phone. A form was quickly created well beyond the Designer’s imagination  and comprehension. Adding the electrical components to the 3D printed  shell was equally fast requiring only 30 minutes to assemble a pair of  working speakers. This is critical because the ease of assembly equates  to the ease of disassembly at the end of its current life.

A great loudspeaker for now, this ability to shapeshift means it could have a future life as any number of designed objects.

Materials and Processes – close up

Software

Autodesk Shapeshifter, TinkerCAD

Hardware

BigRep (in-house), recycled PET filament