Homemade Plastic Extrusion System

www.BigelowBroo...
This is a system I made in a quest to produce growing media from plastic resin (HDPE) for my Aquaponic system. To help support future videos, please rate provide a "thumbs up" rating and subscribe to my channel. Some of the video is poor since I originally didn't plan on posting this info! If system looks like it was hacked together....some parts are. The controller is a Teensy with an AVR processor. Thumbs up for Legos!
PLEASE! Read through the comments since many of the questions you may have are answered here. Also there's a wiki about this at www.reprap.org/... Thanks.
Blog: web4deb.blogspo...
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Web site: www.BigelowBroo...
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[@markfairbanks3533]

All the incredible work he put into this and he has legos used to complete the set up. Freaking awesome.

[@Pray4Mojo1]

Sometimes you gotta improvise 😁

[@Bigelowbrook]

@JFMariano13 I'm not a chemist so I have no idea what off-gasses there are. This is HDPE which is classified as food safe and I'm heating it just enough to melt it, not burn it. The plant roots don't seem to "grab" into the material like they do with gravel. It's possible that the material is just not porous enough for the grab into. I'm not really sure. Overall a fun experiment, but it's cheaper to use expanded shale or gravel.

[@cujoboudreaux]

just a thought..... Instead of cutting them into chunks; put them on rolls. It seems to me that a good use for what you have is to use it in a type of basket weaving system where you heat the finish product with a heat gun to fuse the strips. this could be used for the back of a chair or seat, and would last longer then PVC or WICKER. Just my thoughts. I made a handle for my spatch today (my first project). Worked great.

[@RogerGarrett]

Thank you for getting back to me with your reply. It's always great when someone is willing to share their experience and info.

[@gateway8833]

Excellent use of resources. We have a small Aquaponic system we are testing out before we go commercial. We used all kinds of stuff for bacteria colonies but we found if we just use a material called Higromite the bacterial level stayed very stable and the Higromite held moisture and did not break up like clay and it weight is much less than any other media we found. Great company and it is mined in North America. President is Michael Wagner fantastic guy to work with.

[@qualitatserzeugnis]

Congratulations ! This is a simple and no expensive plastic extruder for entusiast creates their own plastic parts ! thank you for share it!!

[@SeanNorsee]

Damn, I'm impressed. It might not have worked the way you wanted it too, but the fact that you did all that is awesome.

[@TheMan1510]

@web4deb The idea to use the auger bit as your feed-screw is pure genius!!!

[@Bigelowbrook]

@lawmate The wire is turned on/off with a relay that's contgrolled by a microprocessor. The temperature is monitored with 2 probes to determine if the elements should be on or off. There's enough mass in the pipe and plastic that it only needs to cycle every few minutes. You'll have to experiment with the wire for the best results..... I ran 4 wires in parallel for each element and they are 12" long. It all depends on the thickness. If it glows red, it's too hot!

[@t3hPoundcake]

I literally do the same exact thing on a much larger scale at work. One of the extruders we have makes red HDPE micro pellets and it's literally the exact same thing as your small model, except we have a pelletizer. That's wicked.

[@JohnMunsch]

It's like "How It's Made" the home edition. I see more and more cool stuff like this every day that goes by and we have barely gotten started. The future is going to be an interesting place to be.

[@hempseed57]

Dude this is bloody brilliant! If it works or not it is not the issue it shows you have the brain power to come up with a solution. Awesome. Hope for humanity.

[@jimboniface7202]

love your wood auger for plastic injection. Brilliant

[@Bigelowbrook]

@penmanshipZebra This was built with mostly scrap parts except the heating cables which cost around $5. This was done as a hobby and took a few months to put together.

[@MrClaudiodonate]

Great job, using the teensy and legos is a great mixture. Nice one.

[@DDMetzler]

I'd been thinking about the same thing for a long time since I use HDPE to prototype parts on my mill and have boxes and boxes of shavings. Your design is much simpler and better than what I had been thinking of (pressurized vat) . I'm going to start on one immediately :-) Thanks for the inspiration!

[@guymarktee4556]

Absolutely first rate machine. Really very impressed with the design.

[@Bigelowbrook]

@charliemor3 I played with adding extra holes. It's very hard to push holes through the material while it's still molten since it likes to stick to everything. Once it cools, it's fairly hard so it can be difficult to punch. Nylon is expensive. Thanks for the suggestions!

[@dbb6663]

it would be nice a how to video how you build it

[@Bigelowbrook]

1) I used a teensy for the controller. Check PJRC dot com for the teensy. you can also use an arduino. 2) I used a metal lathe for it. I threaded a piece of round stock, then drove the bit sideways through the thread and it make a bunch of ridges in it. My lathe isn't able to do knurling (reverse threads)

[@richardtroell6407]

A lot of hobbyists here would love a how to video on making your HDPE extrusion machine. HDPE is a virtually unlimited resource that is current still making too much impact on the waste stream. Someone out there might, by literally "playing" around with an small home extrusion machine, stumble on a small scale product that spawns small scale manufacturing removing tons of HDPE from the waste stream.

[@Bigelowbrook]

Thanks. I think the ni-chrome wire and insulating tape were about 10 bucks and the temp sensors were about 5. I wanted them buried into the chamber so they got a realistic (or as accurate as possible) temperature of the plastic. I can be quite frugal. ;-)

[@Bigelowbrook]

They are powered rollers and pull slightly at the material coming out of the extruder.

[@bullseye9899]

Awesome job...gotta love building stuff with legos...very ingenious...

[@Bigelowbrook]

@UpstateHydro With all due respect: I'm not a fan of water bottles either, but the problem with refilling them is contamination since you've already wrapped your lips around them and introduce bacteria into it. The plastic that I'm using is HDPE, proven over and over that it is one of the safest materials to use with food contact....not like PVC or other lower grade plastics. Regardless, I've abandoned this project and use expanded shale for my growing media. See expandedshale com

[@MediumMachinery]

Two thumbs up, a clever way to make an extruder! I may suggest a few improvements: 1. Instead of wrapping resistive wire on a barrel, you can use an off the shelf barrel heater and an automotive exhaust wrap to insulate it. They are not more than 15-25 bucks for that size. 2. There is a thermocouple plate (around 20 bucks) called 'Spade Type Thermocouple" that you can use instead of the tubes. ------------------------------------------------ Levon @ Medium Machinery, LLC

[@ddnguyen278]

The roots probably can't find any adhesion onto the plastic, so they grow outwards until they hit the soil/basket layer. Maybe adding sand into the plastic mix making it more "sticky" to the roots might work better? Good luck!

[@Bigelowbrook]

I thought we would finish out the year with a countdown of our 5 most viewed videos for this past year. #5 was posted 3 years ago and it was sort of an experiment with plastics. I never put much thought into it, but the hobbyists who like to do 3D printing starting sharing this video on their forums because it was a possible way of making plastic filaments for their printers. At 58,586 views this year (214,927 total), "Homemade Plastic Extrusion System" takes the 5th spot. kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5_UfHZmnpWUbbs

[@lordsauron2879]

Thank you!

[@Bigelowbrook]

I just cut the end off to make it a little shorter. It turns around 20-30 rpm, but that really depends on how well the plastic is being heated and how fast you can extrude it.

[@Bigelowbrook]

It probably was...I've seen a few extruders that look like this one. To get it going, I usually fire it up and use some needle nose pliers to feed it into the rollers. It's way too hot to hold it with your fingers.

[@BFDSProductions]

Have you ever thought about using the plastics not as a grow medium but in a bio-filter? It could give you more surface area for bacterial growth which is always good when you have float beds integrated into your systems. Keep up the good work man I hope one day I can build something half as impressive as your system.

[@Jamezation]

You, my good sir are inspirational!!! I am now going to go make a machine with lego and my old bike!

[@Bigelowbrook]

yes,, but they also include the cost to fabricate parts. Most of this thing is made from machined parts, custom welds, or hand wound heater elements. If if you're "mass producing" it with qty 400, It adds up fast. $50 for a motor, $50 for the electronics, probably a small pump for water cooling, another $50 in misc parts, then labor.... Plus, I just don't have the time to redesign and document it. I'll leave it to an eager college kid. I've seen a few good prototypes on youtube already.

[@Bigelowbrook]

@sailor62250 I have since abandoned this project since it is far cheaper to use expanded shale or clay, or stone. The raw HDPE will float, but you can put inert additives into the plastic to make it sink - usually calcium carbonate or talc. My samples do float, but once you pack a bunch into the growbed, they seemed ok.

[@1ProtonProductions1]

Freaking brilliant!

[@jimfrank2537]

Love that extruder rig!

[@Bigelowbrook]

@drychalice yes. I've had them for a few years now. I just replace the plants once in a while.

[@Skrimpish]

I don't see why not, it's a pretty straight forward concept.

[@Bigelowbrook]

it's highly unlikely with this setup. There's a lot of slop between the auger and casing so I think it wold leak back. I believe real extruders have some kind of tapered auger that helps to increase the pressure as it works it's way down the tube. But, it can't hurt to try!

[@brianemmettmartin]

Very impressive ingenuity on display here. Too bad the plants didn't seem to care for the medium. What if the molten plastic were to pass through a "curtain" or "shower" of falling sand in between the extruder and the rollers? Sand is practically free and the roots may like the plastic better when it's coated in sand.

[@bryanst.martin7134]

He is the first I've seen putting the bio filter directly in the grow bed, usually it's in the return tank from the fish. There is a product called Cabosil, which is fumed silica, very fine gained snow like textured powder. If it were included in the cooling stream after the rollers it would be bound into the cooling plastic surface. Which should provide excellent holding surface for the bacteria.

[@yamahabradley]

Nic e video. Good to see younger people being constructive - go forward with passion.

[@Bigelowbrook]

@3DModelAnimation standard 3/4" wood auger bit in a piece of 3/4" black pipe. There a little gap but it didn't cause a problem. Details about it are in my blog mentioned in the detail area. Thanks!

[@trault]

Polyethylene (whether HDPE or LDPE) is hydrophobic. This is why nothing aqueous will stick to the parts you've made. To get things to stick you need to oxidize the surface. Manufacturing plants will typically do this with plasma (electrical discharge). You can also flame treat. Good luck with your efforts! Great video!

[@Bigelowbrook]

wrap hight temperature insulating tape around the chamber and nichrome wire. It takes a lot of experimenting to figure out the proper length of wire to use for whatever voltage you have. If it glows, it's too hot!

[@Bigelowbrook]

sorry. I abandoned this project long ago. Theer is some info about it in the reprap site and the link is in the description.

[@Bigelowbrook]

@riyantowibowo Temperature is around 130-140C for HDPE. Watch the computer screen at 0:30 and it shows the various temps! ;-)

[@WizzleThump]

Awesome job. Lots of work to find out roots don't like it though! lol

[@willd.6948]

I had similar thoughts as "Flower Murphy" regarding toxic compounds in the plastic not good for the plants. Maybe the roots staying away from it should give you a clue? Pretty neat machine though. Having the capability to extrude plastics cheaply opens up all kinds of possibilities!

[@frankthetank520]

EPIC BUILD!!! I like this alot good use of alot of things i would normally throw away

[@siggyincr7447]

I wonder if it would be possible to incorporate something like shreaded paper into the molten plastic to increase plants affinity for it. Neat idea for this extruder.

[@MeTubeu333]

Nice man! You could fashion a lot with your device! I love it, thanks for sharing!

[@heckyes]

Dude! You're fucking incredible man! Where did you learn all of this stuff? I just needed something stronger so I welded it. Here is my redesigned fully automated Greenhouse Controller. Here is a close up of the Extruder roller I created on my Lathe. Here are my Automated Window openers made out of Windshield wiper motors. Here is my redesigned fish feeder. Here are my growing statistics for the season. I've installed a Weather station and I log the data. Honestly dude, you're like my hero.

[@Bigelowbrook]

@phalegh it's possible, but HDPE repels water so I don't think much would "stick" to it.

[@Bigelowbrook]

@zeusvalentine nothing. somewhat surprising considering how crude the device is!

[@Bigelowbrook]

@KBMemon After I made the threads, I spun the cutting tool 90 degrees and dragged it through the treads to add more texture. Tedious, but worded well for a 1-off. ;-)

[@KateInTheCity]

Great video and innovative engineering ideas. Perhaps it is not the best medium for hydroponic grow systems because of the root aversion but has many other possibilities.

[@Bigelowbrook]

it's a 3/4" wood auger. Teensy 2.0

[@simonbanks5012]

To get things to stick to the plastic I'm mixing in, and coating with, fine sand (whilst the plastic is molten) although I'm not sure the effects in practice. Perhaps even just coating in stone/sand dust would give it that property (although you have to be careful not to breathe it in because of silicosis). One problem now is I can't recycle the plastic in the normal way

[@Bigelowbrook]

@abhishekgandhi132 It's just a 3/4" wood auger bit put into a piece of black pipe.

[@Kakashi101sensi]

The plastic media you made would be a good cover to retain moisture, like mulch except it doesnt turn into dirt =}. But it would be messy to deal with when you could just get a tarp. My sugestion is to deal with holes/circular indentations in the pplasetic. Like a sponge. That may help the plants to actually root, still not seeing why you want it to root in plastic other than its cost effectiveness.

[@Bigelowbrook]

@KBMemon Metal lathe and turned fine threads into the stock.

[@Bigelowbrook]

@malice926 my first tests I used milk bottles and cut them up. worked great! You need a good way to cut them. I tried using a cross-cut paper shredder and it isn't strong enough to slice through the plastic....just mangled it.

[@consaka1]

I would love to see you try this again but add some media too the plastic. Like sand or crushed lava rock. There are lots of minerals in Lava that plants seem to like, some more then others I bet.

[@nodularification]

nice work, very resourceful use of materials.

[@Bigelowbrook]

Did you check the date of this video! I built this nearly 3 years ago! Don't accuse someone of ripping off an idea until you know the facts.

[@JamesClemones]

Right, thanks for the info, your system is very ingenious!

[@RogerGarrett]

I am duly impressed with your accomplishments.

[@lijuanzhou921]

You are Wild! This is really cool my Man :)

[@HyunAYuchi]

That's an incredible system you have there :D

[@Bigelowbrook]

Explanded clay is extruded as a cylinder, cut into short pieces, and fired in a kiln.

[@Bigelowbrook]

@jamieclarke321 The first experiments I did with it made a filament around that size....it's the easiest shape to make! Check on the reprap web site, they saw this design and a few people may have made one by now. The auger is just a 3/4" wood auger bit.

[@Bigelowbrook]

Yes, I saw it...very easy to do. The hard part is meeting their price point.

[@miketurany2082]

good idea, great experiment with plastic recycling unfortunate that the plants didn't like the plastic, but I wish you all the luck in your endeavor to recycle

[@Bigelowbrook]

yes, but I wanted to use recycled material. Also I was trying to come up with a design that used less material per cubic foot.

[@whoibuoy]

Love the Legos dude

[@Bigelowbrook]

@randy12368 they are about 1/2" wide. They are not for sale. Sorry.

[@Bigelowbrook]

@DamiettadCarnivalle I scrapped the idea of using this media and grow using expanded shale.

[@Bigelowbrook]

@sev07pass needle nose pliers work fairly well.

[@Rambohagen]

PVC is great for algae growth, there is the risk of free chlorine vapors during extrusion though.

[@Bigelowbrook]

It would be very short since I scrapped it for parts for other projects shortly after I did this video! ;-)

[@semabenzer3599]

first of all, this is a very nice and creative machine. I have a few questions. Did you make the granules by yourself (putting them in the hopper) or did you buy them from shopping or the internet? And How can I reach the list of parts you use in this portable machine that you made? thank you.

[@ImaginaryNumb3r]

I... can't resist the Legos

[@Spartacusse]

7 years latter, yet an other thumbs up for legos!

[@AbdulAleemShekhani]

@web4deb Ah, couldn't make out the threads, ingenious, well fabricated :D

[@Bigelowbrook]

@WE3HINES It was OK...but it's cheaper to use other growing media. It was more of a fun experiment!

[@MyFriendDrew]

Really neat stuff

[@Bigelowbrook]

@rgpark69 It's possible there's light near the surface, but after a couple of inches, there's no light getting through. I checked. ;-)

[@Bigelowbrook]

It's already on their wiki page. I gave them a bunch of photos and answers to a ton of questions. I think you can find it by searching for "web4deb"

[@Bigelowbrook]

@patches4patches The bulk of the plastic I ran through it was recycled milk bottles. I got a bunch of pellets that were "contaminated" from a local extrusion company so they were also recycled. When I finished the project, all the plastic was recycled. Only about 1 pound was used. I've switched to a different media. check out ExpandedShale (dot) com for details.

[@vinniesugimoto1737]

hi, you are a genius, this system can be used in a household sized system that turns waste plastic into 3d printing filament...

[@TheTribster]

Great job on that machine, would be cool if you posted the details of what you did somewhere so others can access - like me :) I have an entirely different reason to build an extruder but your model would work perfectly with only a few modifications.

[@havocdaemon]

You are my new $^#$%'ing hero, man. Very impressed with your DIY extruder set-up!

[@AdamBakerBaker]

Cool build. 28 haters?...I don't get it. Thumbs up, sir.

[@vote2015]

Very nice work.

[@killshot123]

My Dad made a spit from a windscreen wiper of an old Nissan Micra to make his spit for his pig, it works fantastically and runs at a perfect speed.

[@ryanwhicker]

Love the use of Lego awesome

[@Vilibrato]

Haha, you are pretty damn crafty. Love the Lego detail :D

[@snark112]

Rob, how do you dream up this stuff. I always have a blast following your adventures. I love your little invention! Too bad the plants didn't!

[@a2zhandi]

5 stars on ingenuity!

[@BurgerzUK]

wow 10/10 for effort, I work on a machine thats almost identical to that but 10 times the size, only difference is out machine uses meccano :).