Affordable Filament Recycling?

Scientific Concepts, Discoveries, and Nature/Engineering Phenomena

• Waste plastic from additive manufacturing (3D printing)

  • 3D printing offers environmental and logistical benefits, but it also generates solid waste from:
    • failed prints
    • support structures
    • purge lines
    • other scrap

• Thermoplastic recycling via mechanical size reduction

  • The project aims to turn discarded 3D-printed plastic into usable filament by starting with shredding.
  • Shredding is emphasized as a critical first step for consistent downstream processing.

• Solid-state/material processing requirements (implied in shredding + extrusion goals)

  • Creating consistent, printable filament depends on ensuring the shredded feedstock is suitable for extrusion.
  • The video stresses that shredding strongly affects tolerances and long-term reliability.

• Industrial motion control / motor physics (engineering concept)

  • Discusses converting a high-RPM motor into a low-RPM, high-torque output.
  • Uses a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) to control motor speed/direction without relying only on mechanical gear reduction.

• Mechanical power transmission (gearbox concept)

  • Notes a traditional approach of gearing down with a right-angle worm gearbox.
  • Targets motor RPM in the approximate 30–70 RPM range with usable torque.

• Manufacturing and tolerance management

  • Highlights the importance of alignment between the shredder shaft and motor shaft.
  • Emphasizes a rigid, level frame to support reliable operation.

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Methodology / Setup Steps (Filament Recycling Station)

Overall goal

Build a compact, community-reproducible, relatively affordable filament recycling setup that converts 3D-print waste into new filament.

System requirements (constraints)

• Compact enough for a home/garage/basement
• Durable and capable of producing usable filament reliably
• Reproducible by average community members using:
  • documented designs
  • readily available parts
• Target budget: < $1,500 (tracked across the build series)

Key processing pipeline (described across the series)

• Step 1 (current video): Shredder

  • Uses a Precious Plastic open-source shredder design to shred failed prints into smaller pieces.

• Next steps mentioned for upcoming videos

  • wiring and electronics
  • attach motor to shredder
  • build a hopper for feeding plastic
  • add a lower shelf/bin system to collect shredded material
  • test run and “dial in” shredding settings for consistent output

• Final stage to be tackled later

  • Extrusion of shredded plastic into printable filament

Shredder motor selection / control considerations

• Motor power target: approximately 1.8–2.2 kW
• Choose between single-phase vs triple-phase based on available electrical supply
• Reduce typical industrial RPM (~1915 RPM) down to 30–70 RPM
  • using a gearbox and/or a VFD
• Ensure correct motor mounting style, or adapt with a custom mounting/control strategy

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Researchers / Sources Featured (Named)

• Dave Hakkens — associated with Precious Plastic
• Recycling Fabrik — referenced as a plastics recycling/filament company
• Clough42 — fellow YouTuber consulted for motor/equipment guidance
• Mohammed — local electrician-turned-friend consulted for VFD/motor approach
• Precious Plastic — organization providing open-source recycling machine designs
• PCBWay — manufacturing sponsor used for fabrication help
• GrabCAD — source of reference models used for initial CAD modeling
• Printables — referenced for adding a filament recycling center directory
• SendCutSend — service mentioned for cutting parts from DXF files
• AliExpress — used for sourcing VFD controller hardware (per the video)

Patreon/YouTube acknowledgements (Nylon and Peek members)

• Chip Cox
• 2 Krazy Ketos
• Amir Chen
• Kris Miller
• Don Arledge