Plastic team

If anyone has already ventured into the area I apologize for a repeat.

It is very possible to make our own plastic for pennies. Back in late 1960's, my late father was a renowned polymer chemist and built a house out of LDPE for pennies on the dollar in the back lot of SRI International in Menlo Park, California. It can be done. If anyone would like to know more get in touch with me and I can fill you in on the details. This will be very labor intensive but can be done to making a RepRap capable polymer for replication to under the 10 cents per pound desire. Then all that has to occur is the interconnections and the electronics. I am good at getting samples but not that good.

To date the electronics alone has cost me about $250 even after making my own boards (No more stepper or extrusion boards to be had and had to make my own at a cost) I guess I will have to make these boards weigh a lot or maybe get an allowance where under 10cents per pound can mitigate over 10 cents per pound.

All in all this is very exciting. I am about 50% completed with my own RepRap Mendel made out of composites. That casting method is real cheap if using cheap materials but those stink and are cancer causing so I avoid styrene based systems where I can. It is possible to make the cast parts from other materials and for the birthing unit it is a great way to go. The molds are actually easy to make and not very expensive if you know what you are doing. Maybe I can sell the molds to interested parties. I also use a technique where I get one oversize allowance on perfectly spherical bolt ways. All in the mold and only light post machining. No teardrop pathways for the long bolts.

I can be reached at parky36@covad.net

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/2010 02:11PM by SebastienBailard.

Chris, I've split off your post into a new thread. Please let us fellow RepRappers know if you want to compete for the prize by registering:
[objects.reprap.org]

If you are too busy to register, I'll move this thread to the casting forum in the next week or so (unless you'd like a new plastic-synthesis forum).

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-Sebastien, RepRap.org library gnome.

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Remember, you're all RepRap developers (once you've joined the super-secret developer mailing list), and the wiki, RepRap.org, [reprap.org] is for everyone and everything!

I've been interesting in polyethylene due to its availability (milk bottles, e.g.), recyclability, chemical simplicity, and a suspicion that one might synthesize it from fatty acids. Although I'm not available for manual labor, I am very curious about the process and hope you will explain it to us!

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-- CaféT