OSU 2020 Independent Study Booklet

HOW TO REUSE 3D PRINT WASTE

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ARCHITECTURE IS A WASTE: Sustainability independent Study Knowlton School of Architecture

CONTENTS 3D PRINT MELTING

MATERIALS AND INSTRUCTIONS COLOR/PATTERN TESTS BENDING AND CUTTING

FILAMENT RECYCLING PHOTOS AND PROCESS

MID-REVIEW FURNITURE PHOTOS AND RENDERINGS

INSTALLATION CONCEPTS

PLANNING AND RENDERINGS

STUDENTS:

Student Lead: Bailey Shurtleff Team Members: Marwan Alawadhi - Sara Bernhardt Autumn Harvey -Daniel Ibba -Dan McDonnell -Sydney Strawser- Clarisse Wean Faculty Advisor: Kay Bea Jones

3D PRINT WASTE

3D printing is a huge part of the Knowlton School of Architecture. Students begin using printers sophomore year and by junior year some students have already invested in their own printers. They run all year long, churning out parts and pieces for models and projects. Among these, are failed prints, discarded support material, and ultimately, final projects that don’t survive longer than their photograph being taken. However, there is no program to recycle 3D print material, in any of its stages. This is what initially sparked our interest in recycling 3D print waste and exploring how a common Knowlton material could be transformed. Our research was possible with funding from the OSU Coca-Cola Sustainability Grant.

3D PRINT MELTING A HOW-TO GUIDE

HOW TO MELT PLA PLASTIC INTO SHEETS WITHOUT PROFESSIONAL EQUIPMENT

Through research, many test trials and a variety of results, we here at Architecture Is A Waste have found what we believe to be the most effective way to melt and reuse 3D printing waste (PLA plastic) without professional equipment. We understand that most people, including ourselves, might not have immediate access to a sheetpress, an industrial plastic shredder or a giant oven. So, for those of you who are just starting out on your plastic melting journey, we’ve identified the necessary tools and materials you’ll need, as well as the steps you can take, to melt and reuse PLA on a small scale level.

MATERIALS AND SHREDDING

First, you’ll need PLA plastic. We collected scraps and small pieces of PLA waste from our architecture studios and our school FABLab. If you don’t have access to architecture school studios or 3D printers, not to worry! PLA is a very common plastic and can be found all over, i.e. water bottles, food packaging, and toys.

Once you’ve collected the PLA, you’ll need to shred it. As long as the pieces are small (you can smash them with a hammer, cut thin pieces with scissors, or blend them in a blender), you can run them through any ordinary paper shredder. This part of the process is tedious but the shredder will produce plastic shreds perfect for melting that would be extremely difficult to produce by hand. We promise it’s worth it!

Lastly, you’ll need a toaster oven, some heat resistant gloves, and an outdoor work space. It is very important that you are able to conduct the melting process in an outdoor area. When melting, PLA gives off a chemical fume called Lactide. Rest assured, Lactide is a non-toxic fume. However, it has a very strong chemical smell. So, please, unless you want your entire house or office to smell like hot chemicals, do this part outside.

Additionally, try to ensure that the toaster oven pan is completely flat and does not have any ridges or engravings. The pan is your mold, so anything in its shape will be reflected in your plastic sheet!

⁕ Set your toaster oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and spread about a 0.5” layer of PLA shreds out evenly on your pan.

MELTING INSTRUCTIONS

⁕ Once your oven has preheated, place the pan in and let the PLA melt for 45 – 60 minutes.

(In order to achieve a thicker plastic sheet, or if your plastic sheet has holes, add an additional 0.5” layer of shredded plastic onto the melted plastic already in the pan after about 30 minutes. Place it back into the toaster oven and repeat the process.) ⁕ If you are adding layers to thicken the sheet and are looking to get a smooth surface result, you will need to flip the plastic every hour. To do this, follow the instructions below on how to remove your plastic sheet from the pan*.

Removing PLA From the Pan: Remove the pan from the toaster oven and let it cool completely (it should take about 20 minutes). Then lift your plastic sheet from the pan! (If it sticks, you can use a flathead screwdriver or paint scraper to pry it off ).

MELTING PROCESS

INITIAL TESTS

INITIAL TESTS ON USING A THERMOFORMER

COLOR / PATTERN

TEST FROM HEAT GUN

TEST FROM LAYERED PRINTS

COLOR / PATTERN

WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT MELTING 3D PRINTS?

Through our initial tests we were able to test a number of sheet and form finishes of the plastics. These variables included temperature, time, thickness, and initial form of the PLA material. Within the first few studies we discovered that the combination of thinner recycled 3D print pieces and a lower, slower cook time achieved the most smooth and consistent sheet of plastic. Larger, inconsistent pieces of 3D prints produced bumpy and irregular surface, in addition to high temperatures that would cause the plastic to burn. The melting point of PLA is similar to PP and PS plastics, ranging between 266- 356 degrees Fahrenheit.

BENDING PLASTIC

Bending is a common and simple technique that is used to transform plastic sheets into new objects by molding them into 3D shapes. This is done by reheating the plastic sheets so that they become flexible. It is important to make sure that the plastic is heated quickly and evenly so that the heat is distributed throughout the plastic. If heated too slowly, the outside layer can burn while the inside will not be hot enough to mold.

We found that using a heat gun is an easy and fast method. Using a mold is an efficient way to achieve a desired shape when bending, although we did not have a mold when we were doing these tests. However, we found that using a raised, solid object, like a cinder block, to stabilize the plastic while using your hand to mold works too. Make sure you have an oven mitt as the plastic can get hot.

CUTTING PLASTIC

There are many ways to cut plastic sheets down to particular shapes and sizes. If you have access to a woodshop, a bandsaw is a good place to start. Bandsaws allow for straight, precise cuts that can be easily sanded down. For larger, thicker pieces, you could use a table saw. In both cases, be sure to apply pressure to the plastic as it is being cut so that it doesn’t go flying. There are many other methods to cutting plastic, just remember to be safe when trying a method for the first time.

We are aware that cutting plastic sheets releases micro plastics into the environment. Use a respirator to protect yourself from inhaling them. Try to contain and collect as much of these micro-plastics as possible then reuse them in new sheets.

1� THICK CUT WITH A BANDSAW

FILAMENT RECYCLING

HOW TO MAKE RECYCLED 3D PRINT FILAMENT Reducing plastic waste has been a major part of the group’s research and we experimented with a variety of recycling methods. Since 3D printers are used daily in Knowlton, we looked into creating 3D printer filament for the FABLab. Recycled 3D print filament could close the loop on 3D printing in the school. Rather than throwing the materials away or paying expensive services to recycle 3D prints off site, we invested in a Felfil Evo filament extruder.

The extruder can fit pieces up to 5 x 10 mm in its hopper to be extruded. From there, you can control various parts of the machine such as temperature, extrusion speed, filament diameter, and spooling speed to produce recycled filament. We found that it is not easy to control these variables from test to test. The next step is to put our recycled filament into a 3D printer and test the print quality.

MAKING GRADIENTS

To further push our experimentation, we were interested in the combinations of other materials and color to create filament. Through modifying filament, students in Knowlton could add another layer of representation to their models.

We created a gradient filament using colored PLA pellets. These pellets were the only new PLA that was bought for research. For every 10 white pieces of PLA, 1 colored pellet was added. We added color in sequence from red to blue as the machine extruded filament to create a gradient. This method works tremendously well and the gradient is consistent.

PHOTO OF COLOR RECYCLED FILAMENT

MID-REVIEW

TABLE MODEL

STOOL MODEL

To

review

our

research

progress

and

gain

feed-

back, we held a Mid-Review with professors Kay-Bea Jones, Justin Diles, and Zach Cohen from Knowlton.

Justin and Zach were great critics to include because of their own experimentation work with various materials.

For the Mid-Review the team assembled two models made from melted 3D prints. We chose simple furniture designs to test how we could cut and “weld�

PLA together. This was a big step forward towards scaling up design ideas in preparation for an end of the year installation.

During the review, we displayed the initial tests along with pattern studies and recycled filament. The critics were very interested in our research and noted that we have created a process for the melted sheets and proposed how we could use it. They challenged us to think about the sheet melting application for architecture. Although the furniture studies were interesting, we had discovered other intriguing aspects of the melting process that could be pushed further.

From the discussion in the Mid-Review, we gained new ideas on how to proceed and the team decided to create an architectural space from recycled 3D prints for our end of the year installation.

30” 48”

1/2”

17”

1/2”

8 7/8”

6”

TABLE DRAWINGS

18”

9 5/8”

17”

R= 6 1/4”

18”

4 1/8”

1 5/8”

1”

25”

1/2” 8 3/4”

8 3/4”

1/2”

8 3/4”

8 3/4”

1 5/8”

4”

25”

STOOL DRAWINGS

18”

4 1/8”

“LIVING IN WASTE”

To

display

our

research

from

the

INSTALLATION

semester, we designed an interactive installation for the Knowlton School of

Architecture.

Titled

Waste”

the

installation

of

print

sheets

3D

“Living

In

comprises

organized

into

an abstract room that has an entry and exit. The installation creates an architectural

experience

for

visitors

as they move through the space. By using large sheets the room becomes a landscape of material possibilities that could be applied to architectural spaces from recycled 3D prints.

RENDERED VIEW

ISOMETRIC

“LIVING IN WASTE�

Visitors will move from one end of the room to the other, encountering large panels as they circulate through the space.

To move through, visitors have to move the panels and interact with the installation. The panels oriented on a diagonal are the ones that move along a track on the floor.

STATIONARY PLAN

MOVED PLAN

ELEVATION

ELEVATION DRAWING

INDUSTRIAL OVEN

Using a 4’x8’ industrial oven the panels would be melted to a thick size of 4’x6’x1”.

To not waste materials, each of the panels have been efficiently designed.

We estimated that we would have to collect around 300 pounds of 3D prints to create the installation. That is the same as about 150 spools of PLA filament.

PANEL LAYOUT

WHAT’S NEXT?

FUTURE INVESTIGATIONS

While we have learned a lot throughout the course of our investigations, there is still much to be explored. There is no one, ideal solution, for how to deal with 3D

print

waste.

Solutions

range

from

those focused on the recycling and production side of 3D print waste, to those that are more concerned with the material output. Listed to the right are a few of the ways that we will continue to explore and develop methods for recycling and reusing 3D print waste.

CONTINUED RESEARCH:

• Combining PLA with other organic, recycled materials. This could result in different textural, strength, and recycle qualities. Some examples could be hemp or bamboo.

• Using PLA as a base and mixing in different aggregates such as plaster or cement.

• Producing sheets of melted down, recycled plastic for Knowlton students to use for models.

• 3D printing with recycled filament • Exploring how thin we can get plastic: can it take on a textile material?

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ARCHITECTURE IS A WASTE: Sustainability independent Study Knowlton School of Architecture