MELTED 3D PRINTS
RECYCLED FILAMENT
Through the purchase of a FelFil Evo Filament maker and Spooler, we have created recycled 3D print filament. Currently, many recycled filament spools are white or black. I am very interested in how color can aesthetically affect a 3D print product when the filament is gradient of color.
We began collecting PLA waste through support material and melting the pieces together in a toaster oven to create a plastic sheet. The plastic sheet was then thermoformed to test how well it can mold to another object. Through melting the plastic this way, the plastic generates a textile quality and is aesthetically unlike to the clean, desired product of a 3D print.
To test other methods of heating and bending the plastic, we used a heat gun to mold the plastic over a cup. The result gives an illusion that resembles folds in fabric. These forms create new design questions to experiment with.
A STOOL
By shredding PLA into small fragments, the results are very uniform when the fragments are melted together. We experimented with color studies to research how the shredded pieces take on a terrazzo effect.
3D Print reuse
Student Lead
August 2019-Present
3D printing is widely used in architecture along with many design disciplines. Within architecture, the majority of the time models, failed prints, and support material are thrown away. What happens with this discarded material? Filament that is supposed to be eco-friendly such as PLA becomes no better than the single-use plastic bag when discarded into a landfill. For the 2019-2020 school year, our independent study Architecture is a Waste is researching and experimenting with 3D print waste and transforming it into new forms. We are investigating this topic in two ways: melted 3D prints with a designed installation and extruding it into recycled 3D printer filament.
STUDENT TEAM:
AUTUMN HARVEY
CLARISSE WEAN
DAN MCDONNELL
DANIEL IBBA
MARWAN ALAWADHI
SARA BERNHARDT
SYDNEY STRAWSER
