3D Print Recycling Service Interest Survey
I am working on a university project where I have to come up with a business idea. My idea is a service that allows users to send in their failed prints or prints they don't use anymore to be recycled in exchange for a discount on filament made from the plastic sent in by users. I understand the obstacles in the processes and materials, but I created this survey to gauge interest in the service as well as the demographics/printing habits of potential customers. Please take a couple of minutes to complete the linked survey. Thanks!
RE: 3D Print Recycling Service Interest Survey
Good survey.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: 3D Print Recycling Service Interest Survey
There is a service like this in Tennessee --- I imagine the people that live close to them may find the service useful. I find the postage to be daunting - they accept 1 lb or more at a time - so shipping large boxes becomes expensive. Right now I'm more in the "melt it into a brick to make it sink once it hits the ocean in the garbage stream." camp right now.
RE: 3D Print Recycling Service Interest Survey
I've wanted there to be a filament recycling service to be available, but with the amount of extra work it takes to recycle filament I can't picture it being feasible to recycle plastic any cheaper than making filament from virgin plastic.
RE: 3D Print Recycling Service Interest Survey
I really wish there were a way to recycle failed prints, test prints, skirt/brim/prime, tag ends of spools, etc.
I phoned our SID's trash hauler and they said to NOT put them in the recycle container, as their plastic recycler does not want 3d print scraps and they have to manually pull them out.
Nobody in our area accepts 3d print scraps, that I know of, anyway.
I thought about a recycle-bot, but I do not have enough scraps to recycle, plus I've heard that recycled filament (both professionally done and homebrew) performs poorly.
I once heard of one firm that would accept 3d print scraps shipped to them, but honestly, the shipping cost is far more than the plastic is worth.
So, I guess I will continue to collect them, usually a filament box full every 1-3 weeks, and thrown them out in the regular trash as landfill fodder.
RE: 3D Print Recycling Service Interest Survey
I honestly would pay postage to not landfill my filament. I'm pretty sure I could find a decent rate using Pirateship.
What I'd prefer though is to be able to reprocess it at home in a simple reliable way.
Aaron
RE: 3D Print Recycling Service Interest Survey
Bought a FilaWinder and FilaStruder together with Precious Plastics grinder.
I want to add a feedback mechanism to measure the thickness and a new winder (not fond of the FilaWinder).
I'm grinding away at my scraps like crazy and plan on recycling my own filament "shortly".
Having problems with bed adhesion every morning...
RE: 3D Print Recycling Service Interest Survey
How is the filastruder?
Bought a FilaWinder and FilaStruder together with Precious Plastics grinder.
I want to add a feedback mechanism to measure the thickness and a new winder (not fond of the FilaWinder).
I'm grinding away at my scraps like crazy and plan on recycling my own filament "shortly".
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: 3D Print Recycling Service Interest Survey
@cwbullet It does its job, albeit slowly. I enlarged the nozzle diameter to extrude faster, but haven't tested it yet since.
Having problems with bed adhesion every morning...
RE:
@cwbullet Had to rush yesterday, some more explanation below.
In current form the thickness of the extruded filament is function of the temperature and the weight of extrusion hanging from the nozzle.
I had two problems with that, first to get PLA to extrude at the desired thickness I had to drop the temperature way down to the point of no extrusion/very sloooooooooow extrusion (the ABS cleaning pellets worked fine and fast) and secondly every movement (like threading the filament to get wound with the FilaWinder) resulted in kinking the extrusion/changing diameter which made it impossible to get past the bowden tube used at the FilaWinder.
That's why I want to have a pulling mechanism with feedback, everything behind the puller doesn't effect the FilaStuder.
Having problems with bed adhesion every morning...
RE: 3D Print Recycling Service Interest Survey
My main supplier has a program where I can send back both PLA scrap and empty spools.
I couldn't find an English version but this might be of interest for your project anyway:
RE: 3D Print Recycling Service Interest Survey
I do not have an extruder but love the filawinder for other purposes.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog