Hi All!
I thought I'd make a new post, as I haven't in a while, and there's some stuff that's happened since then.
First off, my new video is now live, where I gave my views on the social tendency and train of thought known as Primtivism. In the video, I also gave my thoughts on how I think technology and society can affect each other in various ways.
Prior to that, I made a video about 3D printing, and how regular people can use it to make more of their own stuff, and how that can have the effect of individuals becoming less reliant on capitalist production in some areas.
Both videos are on my channel, here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5dC9WFHqsmKD5SqVBo7kWQ
Then there's this. Don't worry, its partially dissolved 3D print waste!
Over the summer I've been trying to do a bit of experimentation with recycling waste plastic from 3D prints, with the eventual goal of making my own kind of material, a home-brew PLA+! I've tried previously to melt it down and create a mold, but I quickly discovered that when 'liquid', PLA (and I imagine other plastics as well) don't really flow like a liquid, but instead become this extremely viscous tacky substance that is very difficult to work with, and cools down too easily (plus it sticks to everything!).
Enter what you see above. The Ethyl Acetate used for this experiment did in fact start to dissolve the PLA. As you can see, the little pieces are all basically solvent-welded together. I've read on a few pages that temperature matters a lot for solubility, both in terms of the solvent and the actual material. Whats not too out of the ordinary is the hotter the solvent, the greater ability it has to dissolve stuff; that's a given. But what I thought was interesting to read was that PLA can become more soluble when you heat the material past its glass-transition temperature before attempting to dissolve. I will give this a go in the future!
What I eventually want to do is try to add some Glycerin to the dissolved plastic, which will act as a plasticiser. This means that the material will become tougher at the expense of overall tensile strength. If I were to add enough Glycerin, I imagine I would be able to even make a flexible material.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this post. Stay safe, stay inquisitive, and I'll catch you all next time!
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