There are not many standards in place as 3D printing is in its infant stages, and even more so recycling for 3D printing. Below are some potential standards and regulations that may be relevant to this project as it progresses.
Continue reading “Standards and Regulations”Tips for Extruding Filament
Extruding post-consumer plastic can by difficult. Depending on the extruder settings, filament brands (assuming its the same type of plastic), degrees of cleanliness, exposure to UV rays or other factors, how old the filament is, what humidity level(s) it was stored at/exposed to, if it has been recycled already, and many more.
Continue reading “Tips for Extruding Filament”Bioplastics
Although the word ‘bioplastic’ sounds like a more environmentally friendly alternative to the more standard petroleum-based plastic, it is not, at least in the short term. Only taking up 0.2% of the plastics market, bioplastics are not prevalent enough for companies and recycling facilities to devote resources to making them as sustainable as they could be (Filabot, 2018). This doesn’t mean we should avoid them.
Continue reading “Bioplastics”Filabot
Filabot is a company centered around plastic recycling for 3D printing. Founded in 2011 by Tyler McNaney, Filabot currently has two different filament extruder setups (with the components available separately as add-ons), and various other tools to help with the filament extrusion process available here on their website. The benefits of Filabot’s set-up compared to other brands is the quality and durability as well as the modular design, enabling the team to upgrade and add components as they go instead of overhauling a single machine which would be costly both time-wise and financially for them and the consumer.
Continue reading “Filabot”FABCYCLE
Irina McKenzie founded FABCYCLE in 2017 with the goal of diverting “textile waste from the landfill by engaging [the] community, connecting with the industry and working with national and international partners” (McKenzie). FABCYCLE’s mission draws many parallels with this project, including a goal of redirecting waste that has the potential to be recycled or reused, along with creating and engaging with the respective communities.
Continue reading “FABCYCLE”Current Plastic Recycling Systems for 3D Printing
Currently, there is a very limited number of public initiatives to take post-consumer plastics (PCP) from scrap to reusable filament. Although there is a list of plastic shredders and filament recycling machines available on the market, they are typically extremely expensive and time-consuming, making them unattainable for individual use, forcing people that want to pursue it to make DIY and hacked versions that often produce sub-par results.
Continue reading “Current Plastic Recycling Systems for 3D Printing”Users
3D printing is reaching more and more users every day. An estimated “6.7 million 3D printers [were] sold by the year 2020,” and that number continues to grow rapidly (Toor, 2019). With the degree of versatility and unlimited potential, 3D printing is being adopted into a number of industries and used daily.
Continue reading “Users”The Future of PLA
Due to the socially driven negative environmental side effects of corn and other starch-based crops, scientists are looking to lignin, cellulose, chitin, food waste, and other non-petroleum-based resources for more sustainable ways of producing PLA.
Continue reading “The Future of PLA”PLA Recycling: Mechanical vs. Chemical vs. Compost
After PLA is 3D printed, it can be recycled and used to 3D print again, providing it has not been combined with another substance like super glue or non-water based paint. There are three methods of recycling PLA: mechanical recycling, chemical recycling, and composting. In order to quantify and compare these methods, two different systems are used to compare the three methods of PLA recycling; the restitution product system and the credit product system.
Continue reading “PLA Recycling: Mechanical vs. Chemical vs. Compost”PLA (polylactic acid)
PLA is a biodegradable plastic made from natural resources, such as corn or other vegetables that contain a large amount of starch (long chains of sugar glucose). In corn (the most widely used crop in the creation of PLA), the kernels are processed and the endosperm is removed, ground into corn starch, fermented to create lactic acid, and the lactic acid is polymerized (chains linked to create a polymer) into polylactic acid (also known as polylactide).
Continue reading “PLA (polylactic acid)”