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Production of 3D printing filament from plastic bottles waste using a low-income settings extruder as an opportunity to reduce plastic pollution in small Island develo** states

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Abstract

In this study, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles are transformed into filament for 3D printing using an open-source design. Three different strip widths (8 mm, 9 mm, and 10 mm) of thickness 0.25 mm were investigated and the 1.60 mm nozzle extruder produced filaments with a hollow cross section of mean diameter 1.80 mm and a tolerance of − 0.03 mm and + 0.04 mm at a temperature of 245 °C. The study revealed that the 10 mm strip width is best suited for bottles of 0.25 mm thickness for the production of 1.75 mm filaments of 100% high-quality and ethical standards. Test specimens were 3D printed at three different flow rates (100%, 125%, and 150%), and the tensile strengths were evaluated using the ASTM D638 test standard. The maximum tensile strength (31.92 MPa) was obtained from the 10 mm strip width filament at a flow rate of 150%, and the ductility of all the specimens was less than 5%. Further test revealed that PLA has a tensile strength nearly as twice as the PET filament. However, while there is currently no virgin PET filament on the market, the recycle PET filament is a suitable substitute for commercial filaments for 3D products with tensile strength in the range of 30 MPa.

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  1. Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, University of Mauritius, Reduit, Mauritius

    Laksham Sanassee & Kevin Henrage

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  1. Laksham Sanassee
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Correspondence to Laksham Sanassee.

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Sanassee, L., Henrage, K. Production of 3D printing filament from plastic bottles waste using a low-income settings extruder as an opportunity to reduce plastic pollution in small Island develo** states. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-024-02005-6

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