Homemade plastic extrusion system

MAKE subscriber Rob Torcellini of Eastford, CT, sent in his extrusion system for turning HDPE pellets into thin, textured strips his plants liked.

I built a plastic extrusion system to make synthetic growing media for my aquaponics system. It uses the Teensy AVR microprocessor from PJRC, an old windshield wiper motor and a few Legos!