Jackie Anderson offers a review regarding one of the most critical 3D printing topics today: materials. As innovation continues to grow, so do the options regarding software, hardware, and different types of plastics (along with many other alternatives today). In ‘Engineering Biodegradable PHA Blends,’ Anderson explores issues with plastic waste, and the need to use more…
The recent development of new polymerization methods that allow the economical production of poly lactic acid (PLA) with a higher molecular weight have effectively removed many of the limiting factors on its use, opening-up a greatly expanded application base for the plant-based bioplastic. This is happening just at a time when pressures on extended supply lines…
In an previous article we have seen that nature uses simple basic components but fits them so skillfully together, that quality materials result. Its above all design that makes intelligent materials out of basic ones. We have described how we can use 3d printing and generative design technology with simple materials to create similar complex structures…
In the first part of the Circular Economy model series it was explained how nature is using simple materials and puts them skillfully together, so that quality materials and objects result that are easy to recycle. Above all nature achieves this through design and its simple choice of materials. So far we humans were limited when…
Although corals may look like plants, they are actually animal structures that host dense populations of algae on their surfaces. Corals provide a host for tiny photosynthetic algae. This intricate symbiotic relationship between coral and algae is responsible for maintaining the high diversity of coral reef ecosystems. Whilst coral reefs cover only one per cent of…
The circular concept is defined by principles that design out of waste and keep materials and products in use as well as regenerating natural systems. It replaces the end-of-life concept with restoration, shifts towards the use of renewable energy, eliminates the use of toxic chemicals and aims for the elimination of waste through the superior design…
The problems we have with our environment are obvious. You just have to open the newspaper to see everyday new shocking pictures and information about climate change and its consequences. Manufacturing and the way how we produce and use things are a huge part of the problem. Global manufacturing consumes about 54 % of the world’s…
In nature, biological materials and organisms are part of a circular process of production and degradation. This process sustains the Earth and living things on it. Humans, however, have introduced new materials and products which do not fit into the circular economy, resulting in waste, which, as we all know, is detrimental to the health of…
Unlocking the value of a circular economy using 3D printing is leading innovation everywhere. Recovery initiatives to increase sustainability, like reusing plastic waste and turning it into 3D printing filament, are becoming more common. In tune with the need to care for Earth’s limited resources, Italian studio Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA), in partnership with global energy…
In Tokyo, a householder consults her 60-page "Garbage Separation and Disposal" system to check whether it's a recycle day for plastic bottles or for all other plastic packaging. In a coastal village in Kenya, an order has been received for 2,000 bricks made from waste plastic and earth. Read more