This project is about making plastic sheets out of recycling flakes.
Flakes from shredded recycling material are filled in a spring powered mold and then placed in a kitchen oven. During the baking process, the plastic melts and gets pressed into the sheet shape by spring-power. After cooling down a nice plastic sheet can removed from the mold
Gen1: Basic prototype and evaluating the process itself
Gen2: Making the mold simpler, test several materials
Gen3: Cheaper und even more simpler in usage, ability to make severals sheets in parallel,
Our experience so far:
- It is possible to make good looking, flat sheet out of recycling flakes with a spring powered mold and a kitchen oven.
- solid baking of the plastic on the mold can be completely avoided by using silicone spray and a flat mold surface like glavanized steel or V4A
- PLA seems to tend to crack aftercooling
- complete cooling of the mold before opening works best
- smaller flakes work better than bigger ones
Plastic Bottles: Used plastic bottles can be cleaned and melted down to create new products, including plates. This process usually involves grinding the plastic into pellets, melting the pellets, and molding them into plate shapes.
Paper: Recycled paper can be combined with a binder (like natural adhesives or resin) to form paper-mâché plates. This involves pulping the paper, mixing it with the binder, and pressing it into molds.
Aluminum Cans: Used plastic disposable plates can be cleaned, flattened, and cut into shapes to create durable plates. The aluminum is typically hammered or pressed into plate forms.
Plastic Bottles: Used plastic bottles can be cleaned and melted down to create new products, including plates. This process usually involves grinding the plastic into pellets, melting the pellets, and molding them into plate shapes.
Paper: Recycled paper can be combined with a binder (like natural adhesives or resin) to form paper-mâché plates. This involves pulping the paper, mixing it with the binder, and pressing it into molds.
Aluminum Cans: Used plastic disposable plates can be cleaned, flattened, and cut into shapes to create durable plates. The aluminum is typically hammered or pressed into plate forms.