Tag: Recycling

Ford, HP turn 3D printing waste into parts

Ford and HP are looking to make 3D printing technology more sustainable. The giants of industry are teaming up to reuse spent 3D printing parts and powders for vehicle parts, minimizing waste in the process.

a fuel-line clip for the Ford F-250 made in collaboration with HP using 3D printing waste

Ford and HP are testing the process by making injection-molded fuel-line clips for the Ford F-250 Super Duty. According to Ford, the recycled parts are lighter, less expensive, and more resistant that conventional fuel-line clips. Because the project has panned out successfully so far, Ford is looking to bring its innovation to as many as 10 new vehicles.

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Ford and HP reuse spent 3D printed powders and parts

Ford Desktop Metal

Ford teamed up with HP to reuse spent 3D printed powders and parts, thus closing a supply chain loop and turning them into injection-molded vehicle parts. The recycled materials are being used to manufacture injection-molded fuel-line clips installed first on Super Duty F-250 trucks.  The parts have better chemical and moisture resistance than conventional versions, are 7% lighter and cost 10% less. The Ford research team has identified 10 other fuel-line clips on existing vehicles that could benefit from this innovative use of material and are migrating it to future models.

Sustainability is a priority for both companies, which, through joint exploration, led to this unlikely, earth-friendly solution. The resulting injection-molded parts are better for the environment with no compromise in the durability and quality standards Ford and its customers demand.

“Finding new ways to work with sustainable materials, reducing waste and leading the development of the circular economy are passions at Ford,” said Debbie Mielewski, Ford technical fellow, Sustainability.

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3D printing with recycled plastic to replace soldier’s supplies

US military researchers have developed a way to use recycled bottles and other refuse materials to 3D-print replacement parts for soldiers in the field.

US Military 3D printed bracket

Military personnel stationed around the world often have a long wait when they need a critical replacement part. Now, the US Army Research Lab (ARL) and the US Marine Corps have partnered to develop a way to kill two birds with one stone by recycling the plastic bottles and bags the military uses and 3D-printing needed materials in the field.

Nicole Zander, a researcher at ARL, and US Marine Corps Capt. Anthony Molnar are working on a joint project to break down recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic into filament to use as a starting material for 3D printers. The material then can be fabricated into plastic parts for radios, canteens, and other items soldiers can use in the field.

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Optimizing the properties of recycled 3D printing materials

In an attempt to mitigate the environmental impact of 3D printing, several organizations have taken to creating recycled filament, made not only from failed prints but from water bottles and other garbage. Inexpensive filament extruders are also available to allow makers to make their own filament from recyclable materials. Not only does recycled filament help the environment, but it also helps 3D printer users to save money and be more self-sufficient, making the technology more viable in remote communities.


Top: virgin PLA, bottom: recycled PLA

3D printer manufacturer re:3D has been working on making their Gigabot 3D printer capable of printing with recycled materials, for the purpose of helping those in remote communities to become more self-sufficient. In a paper entitled “Fused Particle Fabrication 3-D Printing: Recycled Materials’ Optimization and Mechanical Properties,” a team of researchers used an open source prototype Gigabot X 3D printer to test and optimize recycled 3D printing materials.

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Global environment concerns support R&D for plastic recycling in 3D printing

A recent series of major developments and events has created a new impetus for 3D printing plastic recycling. 3D printing of recycled plastics has multiple benefits, including lower costs and control over the amount of materials that can be used by 3D printers. Currently, 3D printing filament is produced by melting down virgin plastic pellets and extruding the melted plastic through a circular die which is then rolled up into spools. Printing with pellets or recycled materials is more cost effective and energy efficient than printing with new plastic filaments. In addition, direct printing of plastic pellets eliminates the need for further processing and therefore makes them less expensive.

Plastic has always been one of the leading 3D printer material categories.  Now there is an expanding global concern about the amount of plastic product waste and in particular its negative impact on oceans and waterways. Improved pellet 3D printing recycling technology can play an important part in helping solve this environmental problem. 3D printing product developers, engineers, designers and environmentalists working on pellet recycling projects have the opportunity to earn US R&D tax credits.

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US Military researches water bottle recycling for 3D printing in the field

Every branch of the US military has been exploring 3D printing for a number of applications, finding it to be a useful technology for everything from day to day uses to battlefield operations.

Now the Marine Corps and the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) are working together to improve both self-reliance and sustainability through 3D printing. The research team is examining the recycling of waste plastic, such as that from water bottles, milk jugs and yogurt containers, to make 3D printer filament.

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Russian researchers develop new recyclable 3D printing-polymer out of biomass material

The use of recycled materials together with the mass customization and faster end-to-end cycle times that 3D printing enables promise to advance the incidence of the circular economy.

When it comes to 3D printing materials, you won’t come across a more popular choice than plastic – there are all sorts of plastics to choose from, and it’s also the cheapest of the 3D printing materials. However, plastic definitely has its issues – landfills around the world are filling up with plastics, and the material is depleting fossil feedstocks, as well as forming CO2 in production and combustion processes. A team of researchers with the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) in Moscow have developed a 3D printable polymer made entirely from biomass that negates these issues.

Additive manufacturing processes are typically better for the environment than other forms of manufacturing, but plastic waste is still a worldwide issue. Plastics are made up of a range of synthetic, or semi-synthetic, malleable organic materials, and many efforts have been made to use recycled plastic to 3D print objects like prosthetics, leaves that make up a floating Christmas tree, bee boxes, and supplies for astronauts in space.

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Recycling PLA for 3D Printing

Is the minimal waste process creating too much waste? If we can recycle prints and other materials this way, it might lead to a revolution of decentralized recyclers

Recycling PLA for 3D Printing

Growth in 3D printing marches on at an annual 26% clip. While new printers keep increasing the print speeds and range of materials that can be used, data on recycling these materials has been sparse. In July 2017, CNBC reported the world has produced over 9 billion tons of plastic since the 1950s, and only about 9% was recycled. If 3D printing is going to further increase plastic consumption, will there be a pile of plastic prototypes lining the landfills?

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