recycling
Recycling Filaments: Evaluating the Mechanical Response of ABS in Multiple Cycles
Researchers from Greece experiment with sustainability in materials, detailing the findings of their study in the recently published ‘Sustainable Additive Manufacturing: Mechanical Response of Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Over Multiple Recycling Processes.’ The…
Université de Lorraine: Direct Waste Printing with PLA Pellets Versus FDM 3D Printing
French researchers from Université de Lorraine assess 3D printing techniques and recycling feedstocks, detailing their study in the recently published ‘Mechanical Properties of Direct Waste Printing of Polylactic Acid with…
Eco Friendly 3D Printing? The State of Recycling
In our already-climate-disrupted world, we are inundated with petro-based plastics. We could rehash the numerous statistics that we probably already know, like the fact that only 9 percent of plastic…
Recycling PLA for FDM 3D Printing
Syed Muhammad Raza and Dilawar Singh explore the ongoing potential for recycling 3D printing materials, releasing their findings in the recently published ‘Experimental Investigation on Filament Extrusion using recycled materials.’…
3D Printing and Mass Customization, Hand in Glove Part IV
Earlier in this series, we’ve discussed how we’re drunk on consumption, how we use up too much material, and that recycling has some constraints. Now we’ll look at how creating…
Eco Friendly 3D Printing? The Circular Economy
In trying to prevent the total collapse of our natural ecosystem, we can work toward building a circular ecosystem of goods production and consumption. The goal of a circular economy…
3D Printing and Mass Customization, Hand in Glove Part III
As discussed in the first and second installments of this series, we are drifting into a consumption-driven stupor and self-medicating our way through lives that, if we live in OECD…
3D Printing and Mass Customization, Hand in Glove Part II
In the first article in this series, I laid out a consumer consumption-driven world where our needs are never quite met by things. Our needs are now mistranslated into a…
Argonne National Laboratory Using 3D Printed PEEK Contactors to Recycle Molybdenum More Efficiently
Just a few years ago, the FDA approved the first Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) to be produced domestically without the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU). This medical isotope helps radiologists detect bone…
Eco Friendly 3D Printing? 3D Printing and the Problem(s) with PLA
While our ecosystem is collapsing, we are at the very least fortunate to witness the rise of a potentially more sustainable form of manufacturing coinciding with the rise of potentially…
3D Printing: A Technology of Degrowth? Part 1
Even if you’re an optimist, Earth is currently on track for an uncertain fate. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded that global greenhouse gasses (GHG) need…
New Method for Circular Chemical Recycling of PLA
In existing mechanical recycling processes, plastic items are chopped into fine pieces, melted and extruded into new plastic feedstock, which causes them to degrade in quality. Recycled virgin plastic is…
How to Avoid Waste When 3D Printing
3D printing can be a great way to quickly manufacture custom tools and equipment, prototype new designs and create a huge variety of different objects. However, despite the power of…
Plumen & Batch.Works: 3D Printed Lampshade Collection Made from Recycled Plastic
3D printing has obviously done a lot of good in many of the major sectors of the world, like aerospace and medical. But, every once in a while, Plumen sneaks…
Recycling in Additive Manufacturing: Coming Full Circle with End-of-Life Glass Fiber Reinforced Composites
In the recently published ‘Remanufacturing of end-of-life glass-fiber reinforced composites via UV-assisted 3D printing,’ authors Andrea Mantelli, Marinella Levi, Stefano Turri, and Raffaella Suriano, from Politecnico di Milano, opened a…
Industrie 4.0: Mein Har(t)z Brennt Part 3 Industrie 5.0
I hate the term 4D printing. Abhor it. I was horrified when I saw it quicker than anticipated gain currency in our market and in the lexicons of journalists. But,…
Argonne National Laboratory: Recycling Nuclear Material Through 3D Printing
‘This additional step may reduce the length of storage almost one thousandfold’ – Andrew Breshears, Argonne nuclear chemist 3D printing and additive manufacturing processes are progressing at lightning speed, but…
3D Printing for Ecological Sustainability in Marine Applications
In the recently published ‘Recycled Sustainable 3D Printing Materials for Marine Environments,’ the authors—involved in the Bio-Shelters Project—venture into the realm of sustainability and recycling in 3D printing, but they…
Polymers As A Service: More Profits, More Planet?
Plastics are a victim of their success. Easy and inexpensive to make, they have become ubiquitous. Facile to turn into new compounds, to extend through additives or blends, they are…
Slovak Republic: New Printhead for 3D Printing & Recycling Using Robot Arms
In ‘Design of the 3D Printhead with Extruder for the Implementation of 3D Printing from Plastic and Recycling by Industrial Robot,’ authors Martin Pollák, Jakub Kaščak, Monika Telišková, and Jozef…
Project PLA Makes Recycling & Composting a Reality in the US for 3D Printing Users
As the ongoing need for and conversation about recycling and saving the environment from plastic trash continues, the concern has expanded to the 3D printing industry—and especially since polymers are…
Interview with Sarah O’Sell on the Circular Economy
This is an interview with Sarah O’Sell. She brings a lot of relevant info to this interview in terms of sustainability and fashion.
Recycled HDPE Sandwich Composite Materials for Casting Using FDM 3D Printing
In ‘Recycled HDPE reinforced Al2O3 and SiC three dimensional printed patterns for sandwich composite material,’ authors Narinder Singh, Rupinder Singh, Ranvijay Kumar, and IPS Ahuja explore new ways to create…
3D Printing and the Circular Economy Part 6: CNC Machining
This is a brief article based on the differences between 3D printing and CNC machining in terms of waste. This part 6 of this series on the circular economy.