Many of us have heard of using vegetable oil for alternative sources of energy like diesel gasoline, but you may be surprised to learn that it can play a role in 3D printing, too. Previous research has been performed in using vegetable oils with UV curing resins in SLA and DLP 3D printing; however, success has…
As many of you liked the article on biological polymers that can lead to circular manufacturing models, I will dive deeper into this topic, explaining how a transition to biological polymers could be achieved. So far we have learned that the most abundant organic biopolymers like cellulose and chitin can be used to produce very strong…
Nature’s simple palette results in products far more advanced than those produced by human industrial science. Seashells that are twice as tough as science’s best ceramics. Spiders can spin silk that is stronger than steel yet light enough to float on the wind. Nature suggests that the potential for inventive uses of easily recycled materials is…
A faster, more efficient way of recycling plant-based “bioplastics” has been developed by a team of scientists at the Universities of Birmingham and Bath. The team has shown how their chemical recycling method not only speeds up the process, it can also be converted into a new product — a biodegradable solvent — that can be…
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…