Filament recycling/making system for home usage

Hi guys,

I am currently developing some economical system for filament recycling and making. I have two reasons for it:

1) I have A LOT of trash from my printing
2) It is very cheap to buy plastic pellets in comparison with filaments

The system should be capable of shredding of the plastic trash (prints, PET bottles, ...) and then maing a filament of it. There will be probably some need for new plastics pellets, because according to my research, it is not possible to recycle perfectly 100% of trash and you need to add some percentage of new plastics. I have experiences with this kind of stuff, thus I believe I am able to make it real. I have already few prototypes and principles tested, but I would like to ask you:

If this will be available on market (for reasonable - low - price) do you think it would be useful for you? Again, my idea is to make it accessible for home usage - professional, but low cost system.

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SJames
2) It is very cheap to buy plastic pellets in comparison with filaments

that depends where you are in the world, it cheaper to buy a budget spool than 1kg of pellets in the UK,

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jinx

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SJames
2) It is very cheap to buy plastic pellets in comparison with filaments

that depends where you are in the world, it cheaper to buy a budget spool than 1kg of pellets in the UK,

Thank you for your reply. I am from Czech Republic and there are plastics producers who are selling 1kg of pellets about 3 times cheaper than filaments are.

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SJames
I am from Czech Republic and there are plastics producers who are selling 1kg of pellets about 3 times cheaper than filaments are

can believe it , had some nice PLA from that part of the world a while back, but something happens on the way to the rest of us in the EU ! postage and VAT seems to wipe out any saving then on top of that we have to make the stuff... dont get me wrong am all for recycling old prints and supports material. am not so keen on recycling old plastic bottle thou, just not convinced its safe ( fumes in the home).

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jinx

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SJames
I am from Czech Republic and there are plastics producers who are selling 1kg of pellets about 3 times cheaper than filaments are

can believe it , had some nice PLA from that part of the world a while back, but something happens on the way to the rest of us in the EU ! postage and VAT seems to wipe out any saving then on top of that we have to make the stuff... dont get me wrong am all for recycling old prints and supports material. am not so keen on recycling old plastic bottle thou, just not convinced its safe ( fumes in the home).

Sure, I understand. According to my research, the fumes should be very similar to standard 3D printing - and still a lot of people are 3D printing at home, frequently directli in the living room, or even at the room where they sleep A proper venting of the room is of course necessary in both cases. So, unless you wil produces kilograms of filament each day, it should be perfectly safe. Of course, even this will be measured and analyzed In fact, there are working recycling solutions on the market, but still too expensive for home (hobby) usage.

I would appreciate a way to recycle my pla and abs.

The current price of $500US for a setup is too expensive for me.

Also helps to be small as possible and space saving.

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orbitalair
I would appreciate a way to recycle my pla and abs.

The current price of $500US for a setup is too expensive for me.

Also helps to be small as possible and space saving.

Wouldn't the benchmark system be the Filastruder - $300US ?

I too would love to have an affordable way to recycle my plastic scraps...

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melty
Wouldn't the benchmark system be the Filastruder - $300US ?

NO as much as I like my filastruder its only half the solution, the ability to grind up the prints then turn those flakes back into pellets I think the hurdle, even filastruder guys mention problems with flakes getting caught between the auger and barrel which can stall an extruder, and a good man eating grinder can cost as much as $300... but there is hope for the makers in us grinder

filastruder still a good choice with raw pellets and a filawinder thou.

Thank you guys for your feedback. As you mentioned the Filastruder, this is "only" the extruder. You have to prepare a pellets somehow and also you have to buy the winder separately - thus the resultin price is much higher.

I am thinking about (and also working on prototypes already) complete solution - it includes:

Grinder - to destroy old prints into a small pieces
Extruder - to make a filament
Winder - to wind a filament on coil

As far as I found on the internet, there are not so much solutions, which can do all - an if so, these solutions are quite expensive (more than 1200USD). And these are still quite amateur solutions, professional setup is more than 5000 USD.

But I think that's the core of the problem... Even at "just" $300, the payback period with raw pellets is still rather long for a home user. And the dropping prices and widespread availability of ready-to-go filaments for $13/kg or less haven't helped...

Not trying to be pessimistic - I'd love to find a solution. But to do MORE than the Filastruder, and to make it economically viable to produce, is going to be a challenge...

I hope you and your project are successful.

The recycled plastic would probably be good enough for infills. A dual nozzle setup would then make sense..

I quite like the idea of using old prints / scrap plastic to make sheet material for CNC machining and laser cutting. The quality of the plastic is really not important and you may even be able to use 100% recycled material

The filament isn't expensive in the U.S. either. about $12.00 USD. It is the waste that bothers me, very bad for the environment. I know they made recycle machine, but that is a bit too pricy, cost more than the printer!

How is plastic bad for the environment, unless you toss it in the ocean?

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cwaa
How is plastic bad for the environment, unless you toss it in the ocean?

Well, it tooks about 400 - 1000 years to decompose. And there is stil more and more of plastics in enviroment - it is also "poisoning" the enviroment for animals.
Look at this - if you are brave enough: [seagazing.files.wordpress.com]
and this is only one example, how the plastics are dangerous for our planet...

Well, PLA plastics will supposedly degrade in 4-6 months in a composting system. It's also UV susceptible, so it will break down outside relatively quickly. ABS is of course a different matter, so it really matter what kind of plastic you're talking about.

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MBot3D Printer
MakerBot clone Kit from Amazon
Added heated bed.

Leadscrew self-built printer (in progress)
Duet Wifi, Precision Piezo parts

ABS is the same, my mailbox clasp already came apart after about 6 months. UV really degrades plastic.

400yrs poster is a useful idiot.

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orbitalair
ABS is the same, my mailbox clasp already came apart after about 6 months. UV really degrades plastic.

400yrs poster is a useful idiot.

How rude!
The ABS part may have become useless for you after 6 month, but the remains are still there, right? It's not, like it disappeared from UV exposure.

It'd be great if the maker shops would have a recycling-struder. They could collect waste filament from local customers and sell it as 2nd hand filament.
The color would probably be ugly or "camouflage" at best...

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orbitalair
ABS is the same, my mailbox clasp already came apart after about 6 months. UV really degrades plastic.

400yrs poster is a useful idiot.

Well, I am talking about complete decomposition in enviroment and it takes hundreds of years... You are right, it may be seriously damaged after only few months - but even after decades, there are small plastics pieces remaining. And this is even much more dangerous, than big plastic parts or plastic bottle. It is for example eaten by animals and whole food chain may be toxicated by micro-plastics as the result of it.

That is what about I am talking, when I say, it takes 400 - 1000 years...

I'm very surprised to see comments against/neutral in regards to recycling in this thread... In this day and age its ridiculous to think "it'l sort itself out".

Just because something decomposes, does not mean it is not damaging to the environment. You might not personally chuck it in the sea, but where do you think it goes when you put it in the bin? The recycling center won't touch it as there are no identifying marks to say what plastic it is. Landfill it is then! And once it decomposes, if it is lucky enough to get there in our lifetime then all those colourants and chemical additives then seep out into the surrounding soil. They then build up to dangerous levels as they pass through the food chain, likely to be consumed again by ourselves. But 3D printing is a niche hobby! why does it matter? Prusa alone sells 3000+ machines a month. Perhaps those machines use a conservative 500g a month, or 1'500kg a month combined, and this is only the plastic usage from new users. All of which is currently impossible or very difficult to recycle via traditional means.

If we don't recycle our own prints, no one else will.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/2018 07:26AM by Origamib.

I think this will be more practical for a recycling center rather than for individual home use. Most people don't make enough waste to justify an upwards of $300 dollar investment for a machine they wont use very often at all. I personally don't print with supports and would only produce enough waste to make a roll of filament once every dozen or so rolls if that. Only trouble with this is that there probably isn't enough demand for this in most places for this type of center to run a profit.

I do like the idea of melting it down for CNC/laser blanks though :-). I'm putting together a CNC machine and will definitely give it a try once I make enough scraps (no doubt the prototyping process will lend a hand in this).

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SJames

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orbitalair
ABS is the same, my mailbox clasp already came apart after about 6 months. UV really degrades plastic.

400yrs poster is a useful idiot.

Well, I am talking about complete decomposition in enviroment and it takes hundreds of years... You are right, it may be seriously damaged after only few months - but even after decades, there are small plastics pieces remaining. And this is even much more dangerous, than big plastic parts or plastic bottle. It is for example eaten by animals and whole food chain may be toxicated by micro-plastics as the result of it.

That is what about I am talking, when I say, it takes 400 - 1000 years...

Beach sand analysis show grain of "plastic" !
Now there is more than plastic, heavy metal, all kind of chemicals etc...
This goes in the food chain and we are a the top.
Luckily no one above as we are inedible
All this has been denounced as early as the sixties. No excuse.

I use PLA to start the barbecue.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/2018 01:05PM by MKSA.

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"A comical prototype doesn't mean a dumb idea is possible" (Thunderf00t)

This method seems to be legitimately interesting: Agustin Flowalistik plastic recycling
Rather then making tight toleranced plastic filament, make loose tolerance plastic sheet for other projects. Could be laser cut, CNCed, hand cut or get a line bender Ebay: Acrylic bender.

Could be done by yourself, or as part of a larger effort with maker communities. No need for industrial recyclers, just something to smoosh it small enough for consistent melting.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/11/2018 11:21AM by Origamib.

Talking about plastic particles in water...

[www.bbc.co.uk]

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Origamib
This method seems to be legitimately interesting: Agustin Flowalistik plastic recycling
Rather then making tight toleranced plastic filament, make loose tolerance plastic sheet for other projects. Could be laser cut, CNCed, hand cut or get a line bender Ebay: Acrylic bender.

Could be done by yourself, or as part of a larger effort with maker communities. No need for industrial recyclers, just something to smoosh it small enough for consistent melting.

This is a great idea. If nothing else, you could form the plastic into something akin to metal ingots... a block or puck shape that is more manageable to store until a future processing option is feasible, but at the same time not so dimensionally awkward as to be unusable in a print shredding machine. For example, melting puddles of plastic in a metal muffin/cupcake pan instead of a sheet.