The Polyfloss Factory - A new small-scale upcycling process
The Polyfloss factory is a micro-manufacturing machine and set of tools, that transform a widely available waste product (polypropylene) into a versatile and usable making material: Polyfloss. Using the principle of Candy-floss machines, they developed a new process transforming polypropylene in a foam-like material, easy to transform afterward.
In a post-industrial society, waste should be considered the new resource. Small scale up-cycling is developing everywhere, but none of these initiatives can transform plastic waste successfully. Thermoplastics are currently solely used for large scale mass production, and there are no production techniques to up-cycle this material at a small and local level. The Polyfloss Factory allows skilled makers to do just that. Thermoplastics, particularly polypropylene, have a unique ability of having different properties (hard, soft, foamy).
They have invented a machine that produces Polyfloss, a new material made from waste polypropylene, which can be manipulated to obtain multiple properties and uses. Skilled makers can now include polypropylene into their range of materials to use. Their goal is to give the capability to create valuable plastic objects on a local level, using waste material, while growing an open source, community based, knowledge-sharing platform. The Polyfloss Team is composed of Nick Paget, Audrey Gaulard, Christophe Machet and Emile De Visscher.
More info about this interesting experiment right here.
