Jan.24, 2014
It is a hopeful development when innovation, community, and environmental improvement dovetail; the project Perpetual Plastic which uses plastic garbage to make 'ink' for 3D printers may be considered one such development. The 3D printing project Perpetual Plastic is located in the Netherlands and focused on the local recycling of plastics. According to the company, their goals are twofold: first, to recycle plastics on a local level by exciting and involving people; and second, to create awareness amongst consumers by teaching them new ways of recycling.
The 3D printing project Perpetual Plastic is by the design firm Better Future Factory and founded by six industrial designers from the Technical University in Delft. It uses a 'mini-factory' which is accessible and transparent where visitors can drive the machinery by hand and learn how the cups are transformed into building material, filament, and then into a new product through experiencing the process first hand. People are able to go through the steps of washing, drying, shredding, extruding, and 3D printing. At the end of the process customized, 3D printed rings are made for them to printed for visitors to wear. The idea is that the rings commemorate the experience and help to stimulate discussion about its origins and the new recycling concept.
The project launched in 2012 at the Lowlands festival. Today, Perpetual Plastic is one of the candidates for Village Capital which is a three month long program that helps social enterprises gain capital in a democratic manner. The group Perpetual Plastics decided to get involved in the initiative of Village Capital because they wanted to learn how to think like investors – while emphasizing transparency and social responsibility in their business practices.
Images: Perpetual Plastic
According to Dutch newspaper NRC, one of the long term goals of the project is to use the concept of recycling plastics through 3D printing technology to create a circular economy and tackle global problems like the plastic soup floating in the Pacific. Currently, only PLA is used in their recycling process, but the group is experimenting with other sorts of plastics. In the future, Perpetual Plastics hopes to develop a world-wide recycling network through 3D printers. The project has the potential to make a real difference in the technological, social and environmental realms.
The organization appreciates advice from interested readers.
Posted in 3D Printing Materials
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Lmaoooo I agree with
fucktard wrote at 7/6/2015 11:44:03 PM:
Idiots. Very few plastic items as garbage will work with the 3d printers, if any. NOthing about this article explains the process. A red bull plastic cup? where was that sourced from? Is red bull a sponsor? Why are there jewish girls posing with the ring?
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