Design of a PET bottle recycling machine for sustainable 3D printing filament production
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24054/iss.v1i6.4493Keywords:
PET recycling, Sustainable filament, Additive manufacturing, 3D printing, Circular economy, Recycled polymers, Sustainable engineering, FDM filamentAbstract
The increasing demand for affordable materials for additive manufacturing has generated growing interest in sustainable alternatives for 3D printing filament production. This study presents the design of a PET bottle recycling machine intended to transform post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste into sustainable filament for fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers. The proposed system integrates mechanical shredding, thermal extrusion, temperature control, and filament winding mechanisms to obtain recyclable filament with potential application in rapid prototyping and low-cost manufacturing environments. The research addresses both economic and environmental challenges associated with conventional filament production by promoting circular economy strategies and reducing plastic waste generation. The machine design includes the selection of mechanical components, electronic control systems, sensors, actuators, and thermal regulation elements required to ensure stable extrusion conditions and acceptable filament quality. Additionally, the study discusses the operational stages of the recycling process, including PET collection, cleaning, shredding, extrusion, cooling, and filament spooling. Mechanical performance, thermal stability, and compatibility with common FDM 3D printers are considered as critical evaluation criteria for the recycled filament. The proposed design contributes to sustainable engineering practices by encouraging plastic reuse, reducing dependence on virgin polymer materials, and supporting environmentally responsible additive manufacturing processes. The project demonstrates the technical feasibility of converting PET bottle waste into functional 3D printing filament through an accessible and low-cost recycling approach, providing opportunities for educational, industrial, and prototyping applications.
References
Arencibia Pardo, F. R., Domínguez Rangel, J. F., & Gómez Monsalve, P. A. (2022). Technological innovation and sustainable engineering approaches in manufacturing education environments. BISTUA, 20(2), 45–56. https://doi.org/10.24054/01204211.v2.n2.2022
Arencibia Pardo, F. R., Peña Rodríguez, B., & Maldonado Mateus, L. Y. (2023). Sustainable engineering strategies and technological innovation in industrial education environments. Revista Colombiana de Tecnologías de Avanzada, 1(41), 15–26. https://doi.org/10.24054/rcta.v1i41.1523
Bahamón, A. ., & Barrero, J. P. . (2020). ¿Regular o no regular la IA? propuesta de regulación híbrida de IA en Colombia. Revista Colombiana De Tecnologías De Avanzada (RCTA), 2(36), 27-33. https://doi.org/10.24054/rcta.v2i36.17
Cruz Sanchez, F. A., Boudaoud, H., Camargo, M., & Pearce, J. M. (2021). Plastic recycling in additive manufacturing: A systematic literature review and opportunities for the circular economy. Journal of Cleaner Production, 264, 121602. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121602
Doria Alvarez, A. ., & Orozco Ospino, J. . (2020). Evaluación de propiedades físico-químicas y mecánicas del adobe elaborado con cal para su uso en la construcción sostenible. Revista Colombiana De Tecnologías De Avanzada (RCTA), 1(35), 89-94. https://doi.org/10.24054/rcta.v1i35.47
Gebler, M., Schoot Uiterkamp, A. J. M., & Visser, C. (2020). A global sustainability perspective on 3D printing technologies. Energy Policy, 74, 158–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2014.08.033
Gómez, J. A. ., Yulady Jaramillo, H. ., & Coronel Rojas, L. A. . (2020). Sistema para detección de fallos críticos en tuberías horizontales. Revista Colombiana De Tecnologías De Avanzada (RCTA), 1(35), 44-51. https://doi.org/10.24054/rcta.v1i35.41
Hernández Palma, H., Novoa, D. J., & Mendoza Cásseres, D. (2023). Energía renovables y medidas de eficiencia energética aplicables a las instituciones prestadoras de salud en Colombia. Revista Colombiana De Tecnologías De Avanzada (RCTA), 1(41), 123-131. https://doi.org/10.24054/rcta.v1i41.2557
Kumar, S., Panda, A. K., & Singh, R. K. (2021). A review on tertiary recycling of high-density polyethylene to fuel. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 55(11), 893–910. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2011.05.005
Núñez-Cacho, P., Górecki, J., Molina-Moreno, V., & Corpas-Iglesias, F. A. (2022). What gets measured, gets done: Development of a circular economy measurement scale for building industry. Sustainability, 10(7), 2340. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072340
Pakkanen, J., Manfredi, D., Minetola, P., & Iuliano, L. (2021). About the use of recycled or biodegradable filaments for sustainability of 3D printing. Rapid Prototyping Journal, 23(5), 776–785. https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-09-2015-0138
Rahman, M. H., Bhoi, P. R., & Hossain, M. (2022). Recycling and reuse of plastic solid waste: A state-of-the-art review. Recycling, 7(5), 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling7050067
Rojas Puentes, M. P., Parada, C. J., & Leal Pabón, J. (2022). Estructuras desglosadas de trabajo (EDT) en la gestión de alcance de proyectos de desarrollo de software. Revista Colombiana de Tecnologias de Avanzada (RCTA), 1(39), 51–58. https://doi.org/10.24054/rcta.v1i39.1375
Sánchez Duarte, J. A. ., Contreras, M. A. ., & Torres, J. A. . (2020). Caracterización geotécnica del subsuelo en el relleno sanitario regional “La Cortada”, Pamplona (Norte de Santander) a partir de datos geofísicos. Revista Colombiana De Tecnologías De Avanzada (RCTA), 2(36), 9-17. https://doi.org/10.24054/rcta.v2i36.15
Singh, S., Ramakrishna, S., & Gupta, M. K. (2020). Towards zero waste manufacturing through sustainable additive manufacturing. Sustainable Materials and Technologies, 26, e00222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susmat.2020.e00222
Tao, Y., Wang, H., Li, Z., Li, P., & Shi, S. Q. (2021). Development and application of wood flour-filled polylactic acid composite filament for 3D printing. Materials, 10(4), 339. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10040339
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Guillermo Marín Balcázar, José Rafael Enrique Pineda Ruiz, Mario Roberto Zamora Molina
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
