Special Interest

PolyForm: A Design Conjecture

Chipper Orban

02 Oct 2025 — 1 min read

Curbing the problem of plastic waste involves more than just recycling. At a more fundamental level, the culture of consumerism must be challenged. Drawing on practices from antiquity, PolyForm fosters personal connection to plastics by encouraging artistry and craft. Similar to Crayola mold machines and 3D printer pens, PolyForm liquifies PLA scrap and presses it into small molds.

Each of these molds produce Jewlery elements like watchbands, beads, pendants, bangles, and potentially many more. Using PLA scrap promotes a circular system to an already difficult material to dispose of. Additionally, these machines can work side by side with FDM printers, which grows the maker culture. Similar to Kintsugi philosophy, each artifact celebrates the unique imperfections of the material, leaving the user with a memorable item to keep, gift, or even sell. The wearable nature of these items makes plastic a matter of personal expression, and not merely about consumption to meet needs.

Survey

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Survey

WonderView

Ambient Drive Control

Sensory Seam