IPFS News Link • 3D Printing
IPFS News Link • 3D Printing
What makes this solution so ideal is that it’s easy and cost-effective enough to do at home, at least according to a study done
by Joshua Pearce at Michigan Technological University. All this
technique requires is clean milk jugs that are run through a standard
office shredder. Then a RecycleBot, which you can purchase for
under $300, converts the shredded plastic into 3D printer filament. Put
the filament in your printer, and you’re ready to start printing small
statues of Darth Vader, or whatever it is one does with a 3D printer.
The
first benefit of recycling your milk jugs at home is how much money it
can save you. Just by printing your own filament, you’ll save 99 cents
on the dollar, even factoring in the cost of the RecycleBot. The
standard cost of filament can run up to $50 per kilogram, but making it
yourself only costs about 10 cents per kilogram. That’s a massive
savings.
The other big benefit is that you’ll be saving the
environment. When you send your milk jugs to the recycling center, it
takes three percent more energy to get them there than if you recycled
them at home. If you live in a smaller city or rural area, even more
energy is used, due to increased transportation costs. In that case,
you’ll save 70 to 80 percent more energy by recycling the jugs at home.
If that isn’t impressive enough, recycling jugs at home uses 90 percent
less energy than making brand new plastic.