RepRap Recyclebot Turns Plastic into 3D Filament for $700

An open source project at Michigan Technological University can turn waste plastic into high-quality 3D printing filament. "RepRapable," as it's called, was designed and built by three students and one professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics. The plans were made available last year under a Creative Commons license in the journal HardwareX.

RepRapable isn't a new idea. Open source and commercial versions of "recyclebots" exist aplenty, according to the plans. But as the project authors noted, building or buying these systems ranges "from $6,000 to tens of thousands of dollars." RepRapable costs about $700 for the components and takes about 24 hours to build. According to its makers, the machine can replace the filament made by commercial pellets for roughly 22 percent of the cost and cut the amount of energy used in creating new filament by about 90 percent. It can also fabricate the recycled waste plastic into filament for 2.5 cents per kilogram, about a thousand times less than the cost of commercial filament.

The name comes from the term adopted by the 3D printer community to describe a replicating rapid-prototyper ("RepRap") that can print its own components to recreate itself. In this project, the recyclebot can generate the filament needed to replicate itself on any RepRap 3D printer.

The plans include a detailed materials list, step-by-step build and operation instructions, assembly photographs and illustrations and a link to a source file repository, maintained on Open Science Framework.

A link to the article itself is available on the Michigan Tech website.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • stylized human profiles, tablets, and floating icons

    From Feedback to Flexibility: 5 AI Tools Teachers Should Try

    As a fifth-grade teacher and AI School Champion in the St. Vrain Valley School District, I've seen firsthand how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming education. Here are five AI-enabled tools I've found especially powerful in my classroom and professional practice.

  • computer monitor with a bold AI search bar on the screen

    Google Rolls Out AI Mode in Search

    About a year after introducing AI Overviews for its flagship search offering, Google has announced broad availability of AI Mode in Search.

  • portable Wi-Fi hotspot rests on a stack of books and a laptop in a library

    Senate Votes to Rescind E-Rate Program Funding Loaner WiFi Hotspots for Schools and Libraries

    The Senate has passed a joint resolution to overturn "Addressing the Homework Gap Through the E-Rate Program," a July 2024 expansion to the FCC's E-Rate program that allowed schools and libraries to utilize E-Rate resources to loan out WiFi hotspots to students, school staff, and library patrons.

  • silhouetted student stands before the White House, surrounded by abstract digital graphics of brains, circuits, and AI elements

    White House Sets Sights on AI Education

    A new executive order from President Donald Trump aims to advance America's position in artificial intelligence technology by incorporating AI into education and providing AI training for educators.