On Jun 3, 2012, at 10:54 AM, Kirk Wallace wrote: > These printers are very clever and the products entertaining, but I have > issues with how they fit in with the big picture. Plastic, over a the > long run has very limited utility, but never goes away and stays toxic. > What is going to happen to all of these busts of Yoda once the > entertainment value has worn off?
Hi Kirk, Well plastic is generally used where metal is not needed. One example would be a Yoda bust, or a hose connecter. No need to make them out of aluminum (for the most part). The energy embodied in a given part of aluminum is at least a magnitude higher than the same part of plastic. So we are better off (at least carbon wise) if a given part is made out plastic instead of metal. Also, all types of plastic are cleanly recyclable in plasma gasification recycling plants (online in Japan and the first is now online in NYC): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_Converter And with the Thermal depolymerization process: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_depolymerization The problem with plastic is when it doesn't make it to the recycling centers and worse when it even doesn't make it to the dump. But aluminum really is no different in this regard. An aluminum can that makes its way to the beach of a deserted island will be there for a long long time. > I prefer to work with the materials nature provides, and which we have > become environmentally and biologically used to - metals, wood, rock, > dirt, etcetera. As Doug pointed out PLA is biodegradable and is in fact made from corn and/or sugar. Soy based plastics are a reality now too, with even major auto companies using it in cars now. HDPE is directly usable in plastic extrusion 3D printers with some modifcation. All you have to do is shred it and feed in a grain hopper style feeder. If you prefer to mill HDPE, here is a cool instruct able showing how to make HDPE blocks: http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-Blocks-out-of-HDPE-milk-jugs/ Cheers, Jeshua Lacock Founder/Engineer 3DTOPO Incorporated <http://3DTOPO.com> Phone: 208.462.4171 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Live Security Virtual Conference Exclusive live event will cover all the ways today's security and threat landscape has changed and how IT managers can respond. Discussions will include endpoint security, mobile security and the latest in malware threats. http://www.accelacomm.com/jaw/sfrnl04242012/114/50122263/ _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
