Even though we have recycling centers, plastic trash is still a big issue. It can be found in every nook and cranny, even in remote locations! In a deep wood park, at the farthest reaches of a gorge, there sat some plastic bags and wrappers. The end of that adventure was depressing.
Only about 10% of what we throw away actually gets recycled. What if we could recycle our plastic trash at home and 3D print it out into things we can use. Now we can, thanks to Dutch designer Dave Hakkens, whose Precious Plastic initiative makes use of new open-sourced machines to turn unwanted plastic into renewed goods. Dave designed several machines using scrap material and sheet metal that can be found in almost any scrap yard.
Each machine recycles plastic material using different methods and includes a rotational molding device, and extrusion machine and an injection-molding machine along with a simple shredder. Dave doesn’t envision these machines as consumer products but rather used in small communities where people can be reimbursed for their plastic waste and then the recycling center can make new purchasable goods. Those interested in building their own machines can get the blueprints from the Precious Plastic website.
The options…
While these designs aren’t specifically focused on making plastics for 3d printing, minor modifications could probably be made to turn this into a filament extruder, like the filastruder.
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