American students reduce 3D printing waste through recycling programs

[China Packaging Network News] Recently, students from the University of California, Berkeley launched a 3D printing material recycling project. It is reported that this new measure aims to solve the problem of waste products generated in the 3D printing process and reduce the environmental impact of 3D printing on campus.

Since 3D printing has become a popular manufacturing technology, artificial limbs, construction, and other fields have become important areas for implementing 3D technologies. It is reported that the campus currently has more than 100 3D printers, but will produce more than 600 pounds of plastic waste each year.

Nicole Panditi and Scott Silva are two students working at the Berkeley Student Environmental Research Center. Now they have set up a new plan to recycle all 3D printed plastic waste on campus. Their system can be used for new projects by grinding and melting any plastic waste and then re-shaping it into a new spool. Despite the smaller scale of similar systems, the 3D printer material recovery project will be further developed to provide a single plastic waste solution for the entire campus.

The plastic most commonly used for campus 3D printing is PLA, a bio-based plastic that is sold as compostable. However, most recovery facilities (including those used by Berkeley) do not allow sufficient time for decomposition. Although the process may take up to 120 days, many places tend to transfer any remaining material after the normal 45-day period. To the landfill. The college currently uses the Republic Services West Contra Costa Landfill in Richmond, and the company claims it will increase the length of time these plastics remain in the compost cycle, but these changes have not been confirmed.

The 3D printed material recovery project is led by Cal Zero Waste. Its purpose is to minimize all waste and recycled materials on campus, especially plastics. The vision of Lin Zero, the manager of Cal Zero Waste, for the plastic waste generated by the 3D printing at Berkeley is a completely closed loop, and the plastic will never leave the campus. "We will provide Berkeley with recycled materials," he said. "Any abandoned items will be sent back to us immediately, which will greatly reduce the college's carbon footprint for 3D printing."

So far, the 3D printed material recycling project has achieved some success, but the team is using a kitchen mixer to break down the plastic. The inefficiency of this approach led them to start crowdfunding activities with the aim of raising $5,000 to purchase grinders and other machinery that are critical to the recycling process. It is worth mentioning that a group of people are working hard to ensure that 3D printing will not have a negative impact on the future of the planet. This has prompted more innovations to be born in Berkeley, and these technologies will have a positive impact on the future of society.