7. BioFabricating Materials¶

Learnings / Research¶

How to craft bio-plastic ?¶

This is how to produce a bio-plastic, first you need a base polymer, this is what's used instead of fussil-fuel as a polymer which is usually how plastics are based.

Every plastic will have plasticizer, the function of it is to act on flexibility. To create flexibility.
You can have filler, which will act on resistance and also how rigid plasic is. To avoid shrinkage. To stucture and reinforce.
You can have stiffening, which can effect volume and characteris of final plastic
You can have expanding. To creat foams

For polymers you can use;

Agar, alginate(vegan), Gelatine(animal source), starch(vegan)

For plasticizer, we use glycerine For filler, we use egg shells, chalk, fibers, oils, etc For stiffening, we use fibers and natural debri For expanding, we use green soaps, emulsifiers

As for the color; we can use natural inks and pigments, we can also use food coloring

Gelatine based recipies¶

Gelatin is animal derived ingredient. It gives you wast range of possibilities. You can go as stiff and very resitance, but at the same time flexable and malleable, you can also cast very thin and thick sheets

HOW TO¶

For all the gelatine based recipies, we use 3 main ingredients, which is water, gelatine and glycerine. And you can have some additions of filler or stiffening or other ingredients. But basically what's going to vary is the ratio of gelatine and glycerine for the amount of water you're using. That is going to create more or less flexible material, more or less resistant or brittle.

You start with one of these base recipes and that will give you idea how these ratios will effect the final material

(CC) pictures from this presentation Bio-plastics tutorial (Vimeo)

References & Inspiration¶

Overview material research outcomes¶


Biofoam	Gelatin foil	Bioresin	Biosilicone
Starch Rubber	Biolinoleum	Alginate net	Alginate foil
Alginate string	Agar foil	Bio composite	Reused PLA

Process and workflow¶

Bio-Resin & Bio-Silicone¶

The first experiment was to start with basic one. You cook Bio-Resin & Bio-Silicone in the same way only the ratio of Glatine and Glycerine changes.

Ingredients & Recipes¶

Prepare this recipe ¹ by collecting the ingredients necessary, to be found in the list below:

ingredientstoolsrecipe bio-resin

* 48 gr Gelatin
* 8 gr Glycerine
* 240 ml Water

* xxx gr

* measure - measure - measure
* add, combine, mix..
* simmer, cook, boil, freeze, burn, crush...
* mix, smash, stack, overlay..
* cast, pour, press..
* dry, aereate, dehydrate..
* remove, peel, unmold..
* finishing touches