TNO Torwash – Envisions | PLA as a material binder
Torwash is the name of the technology developed by TNO. With a new application of this technology, you can completely dissolve and break down bioplastics (such as PLA), after which they can be used again. This offers designers opportunities to design composites and composite products that can still be fully recycled. The results can be seen at Yksi Expo.
Envisions Bioplastic | PLA as a material binder
Composites and composite products are a problem for recycling. In particular, the complex connections between different materials causes problems. The Torwash technology may open up new possibilities to overcome these obstacles. Designlab Envisions has examined combinations and composite materials in car interiors that cannot or can hardly be separated, such as a car seat or the dashboard. In addition, the technique of over-moulding, in which an extra layer of plastic is applied to a product or part, was examined.
Think, for example, of a toothbrush or screwdriver in which different plastics are fused. Finally, examples of connections from the fashion industry were examined. Shoes, for example, are complex combinations of materials which are glued, stiched and bonded together.
What if the connection-parts of these product-categories would be made of PLA, could we than start to envision that materials can be taken apart through the Torwash-technology?
Exhibition ‘Designing for Torwash’
Yksi Expo
Torenallee 22-04 (Strijp-S)
Until 6 March, 2022
www.yksiexpo.nl