Robotic Fabrication with Bioplastic Materials: Digital design and robotic production of biodegradable objects

Bioplastics are materials that are composed of renewable organic biomass sources and thus they are inherently biodegradable. On top of their ecological advantages to standard plastics they help to conserve fossil raw materials and the dependency on mineral oil. Recent advancements in digital design and robotic materialisation have introduced innovative methods for the realisation of complex geometries and direct experimentation through physical prototyping. Within this collaborative course between the Dessau Department of Design and the Dessau Institute of Architecture, we set out to explore the potentials of self-made bioplastic materials in combination with cutting-edge robotic fabrication in order to produce compostable products. Throughout the course the participants got acquainted with the fundamentals of parametric design to robotic production while performing systematic scientific experiments with bioplastics to develop the perfect material for robotic production. The paper presents a number of recipes on how to create bioplastics in a DIY manner. Moreover, the material research methodology, as well as robotic fabrication strategies behind each of the projects, are discussed in detail.