3D Printing Using Plastic Waste

Since it’s invention, 3D Printing has emerged as a solution for many of the problems faced in traditional manufacturing.

Since plastic waste is so environmentally damaging. Researchers in the field of 3D printing has developed newer ways to utilize 3D printing for more sustainable production.

This includes creating everyday objects like planters, reducing wastage in home construction, or using recycled plastic for printing.

How plastic waste is converted into 3D Printed Filament?

For 3D Printing purposes, we can only plastics that can be melted and reused. This is only possible with thermoplastics. Other types of plastic burn away or get their chemical properties alters, which makes them unusable for 3D Printing.

• Once we have the right kind of plastic, it is first cleaned, shredded and extruded into plastic pellets.
• The pellets can be used for printing directly. They can also be converted to filament, as not all 3D Printing machines support printing with pellets.

What can be printed with reused plastic?

The flexible tools printed by the team include doorstops, snow shovels, coat hangers (clip), hand grippers (pincers) and boomerangs, among others. 

This method of 3D printing is not only less expensive than buying new filament, but also uses existing waste for an eco-friendly purpose.

How much plastic can be saved and reused?

With the latest available tech in place, it’s possible to recycle nearly 100 percent of recyclable plastic. That process uses about 20 percent more energy per pound of material as compared to filaments made from virgin plastic.

The major problem difficulty here is that the recyclable plastic has to be segregated from other trash. That is not possible is most places, as waste segregation is not followed uniformly on a global scale. That means that most recyclable plastic may never reach a recycling plant ion the first place.

Future of recycled plastic and 3D Printing

n the near future, people would be able to buy recycled plastic in stores and use it to print their own DIY tools or “upcycle” existing objects.

With the wide availability of free design files, so experiments with materials like nylon and development of  products such as toys, bicycle rack brackets and scooter parts.

The Big Picture

If we can develop such materials and processes for recycling plastics which are currently not recyclable into filaments, then you will be able to print just about anything that you can buy in the store. 

That’s right – if there is a market for it, and someone figures out how to make filament out of it (heck, even your old worn-out tooth brush), you would be able to print it! 

You will no longer need to go to the store or order products online; all you’d need is internet access and a 3d printer. And due to cost-effectiveness boost from recycling wastes, manufacturers might start finding it economically viable as well as an environmentally responsible option to use recycled filaments and plastics for 3d printing.

Even we will never be able to eliminate plastics from our lives. But with technology advancing like this (and hopefully regulations limiting our usage of plastics), we can minimize our harms to the environment that plastic brings.

At 3D Motifs, we love to yap and nerd out about all things related to 3D Printing. Here are some of the most common questions we’ve been asked and that we have answered: 

1. Want to learn how 3D printing was invented?

2. What materials do you need for 3D Printing?

3. Is 3D Printing food-safe, and what kind is safest? 

4. Common problems with 3D Printing.

We’ve also answered specific topics like how much filament to use, the difference between 3D Printing and 4D Printing, the best 3D printing apps, and the link between 3D Printing and photogrammetry.

To find out more about how your business can use 3D printing as a greener alternative, contact our team or you can fill out this form.