Prospect of 3D Printing for Recycling of Plastic Product to Minimize Environmental Pollution

Abstract

The recycling of thermoplastics is an established process for converting waste into useful products. As per reported literature thermoplastic recycling is subdivided into four categories namely: primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is low cost extrusion based 3-dimensional (3D) printing technology which fits very well in frame work of primary and secondary recycling. In this article three primary recycled thermoplastics namely: acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polylactic acid (PLA) and high impact polystyrene (HIPS) were 3D printed as multi-material for primary plastic recycling process in a composite form for development of functional prototype. For ensuring tensile properties of 3D printed multi material functional prototype break load, peak load, break strength, peak strength, break elongation, peak elongation, percentage break elongation, percentage peak elongation and Young’s modulus were investigated. Along with this pull out test for break load and peak load properties was conducted for structure engineering applications. The observations revealed that 3D printed multi-material components may be adopted as remedial solution for converting polymeric waste into useful functional parts with acceptable mechanical properties.