Thermoforming prototype with recycling plastic flakes

Ripped-Up – plastic waste materials and their potential for product design

Success Stories January 27, 2024

The examination of material and design has various starting points. On the one hand, ideas and concepts lead to the determination of a suitable material. On the other hand, the choice of material can also be the core of the design and thus influence the design from the outset. During the 2024 winter semester, students on the Industrial Design course worked intensively with thermoplastic residues (plastic waste) as part of the "Ripped-Up" project at the State Academy of Fine Arts (ABK) in Stuttgart. The aim was to identify potential for the sustainable design of future products and produce initial prototypes.

"Ripped-Up" workshop group photo with Max Neustadt from ABK Stuttgart
Workshop participants under the supervision of Max Neustadt (Academic Assistant Industrial Design at the ABK)

Understanding the material plastic

After first classifying and examining plastics that they had collected themselves in a workshop, the students were able to explore the different types and properties of plastics. They received theoretical and practical support from the mechanical engineering company WEIMA from nearby Ilsfeld, just outside Heilbronn. Knowledge about the topic of plastics recycling and its industrial process steps was imparted during a guest lecture.

inside seminar room a fine art school in stuttgart with students listening to a lecture

Workshop presentation about recycling

Shredding with WEIMA

WEIMA then provided a compact Precious Plastic single-shaft shredder from its own production, almost 60 kg of granulate and a hand-operated injection molding machine for experimentation in the ABK plastics workshop. It is planned that the equipment will also be available for future projects at the ABK.

WEIMA Shredder Pro at the workshop in Stuttgart

WEIMA Shredder Pro in Stuttgart

The second step involved developing ideas for a product and combining these with the knowledge acquired. What are the special features of the respective plastics? Which type of thermoplastic can be used for a design in a statically and structurally sensible way?

Breaking new grounds

Different approaches were pursued in the course. From the use of granulates in the injection molding machine to fusion in the thermoforming machine or the ironing of plastic bags, the students took an explorative approach to the further processing of the residual materials. The results also covered a broad spectrum: from lightweight bags, plates, pieces of furniture and jewelry to modular semi-finished products.

colorful plates made from recycled plastic

Plates made from recycled plastic

One challenge was the availability of the materials, the unpredictability of the material quality and the short time available for processing. In this context, however, the students learned to use adequate substitute materials or to define placeholders.

Furthermore, the importance of material separation for the further processing of residual materials has become clear, where a homogeneous, high-quality material was required for the design.

Overall, the students were able to explore the processing of recycled plastics experimentally and creatively. They also had the opportunity to see themselves as designers at an important interface in the reuse of materials.

Sofia Souidi in her studio
big pile of wood waste and scrap wood
white Superwood fibers in a glass bowl
Sofia Souidi creating blue Superwood
Superwood in different colors
Superwood load test with sofia soudi standing on a superwood board
Superwood furniture on a white floor
Superwood board with different textures

About Sofia Souidi

Sofia Souidi, a German-Algerian product designer who founded her own interdisciplinary studio in Berlin a few years ago after graduating from the Royal College of Art in London, was responsible for managing the project. Her works are part of the Neue Sammlung in the Pinakothek der Moderne and the Futurium Museum (Berlin). She is currently developing a sustainable material from bio-based waste materials and is supported by the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research WKI and the IKEA Foundation.
Logo from ABK stuttgart, sofia souidi and weima
ABK Stuttgart | Sofia Souidi | WEIMA Maschinenbau GmbH
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