Great gift to ask for this Christmas :)

https://www.designboom.com/design/nendo-3d-printed-bonsai-tree-puzzle-10-03-2019/

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I’m sorry @Bonsai_Bentley
With the sea full of plastic, 1 in 7 animals and 1 in 5 plants (in UK) facing extinction, I find this to be pointless and grossly irresponsible.

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Recycle the bits responsibly. :slight_smile:

On the one hand, I agree with @AndyK: the world doesn’t need this, and it’s probably better without it.

On the other hand, I want one for my desk at work – a place where bonsai fear to tread.

What I’d love is an aluminum or copper version.

Right! I’m the kind of person that will avoid buying 6 packs of cans because of the plastic rings. If I do end up with one I cut every single loop to prevent fish from getting stuck. Just gotta be as responsible as possible. I get not liking it though, but what if it were printed with plant proteins? Not that it is lol.

The fact it’s 3d printed and can be clipped with regular scissors probably means it’s made from PLA. PLA is a bioplastic made from corn starch, cassava, sugarcane or sugar beet pulp that fully composts (albeit slowly in ambient temperatures). Basically the carbohydrates are fermented to obtain lactic acid, which is then polymerized with lactide (which is itself dehydrated lactic acid) to produce PolyLactic Acid. Once PLA breaks down, the lactide will hydrolise back to lactic acid.

Because of this, PLA is not recommended for prints that will be exposed to the elements… pre-extrusion it also requires careful storage as the print quality depends on it being not too humid.

PLA is also used for medical implants because the body will start breaking it down to lactic acid within 6 months to 2 years. This property makes it really useful for anchors, bolts or mesh supports for bone regeneration.

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Or the splints used to open my nostrils.

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Ha, so my sarcasm turned out to have a hint of truth to it. Now we can purchase this mostly guilt free. :slight_smile: