Sustainable ABS spool from Lancashire3D. Photo via Lancashire3D.
19 Mar
Blog

Lancashire3D launches recycled plastic filament vary for 3D printing service

Lancashire3DThe UK-based 3D printing services bureau has launched its sustainable range of materials for the manufacture of 3D printed goods. The range is designed to combat waste in material extrusion processes and consists of two sources of recycled plastic: unwanted parts and waste filaments / carriers. Lancashire3D expects to reclaim over 150 pounds of waste each year and incorporate a circular production process.

“We know the planet has a limited amount of resources and that we all need to take on more responsibility,” said Steven Pearson, co-founder of Lancashire3D Ltd. and companies like ours help. ”

“By creating a circular economy (production), which means that 3D printing material is returned for recycling after completion and converted back into printable material and reused, waste is seen as a resource and part of a continuous cycle.”

Sustainable ABS spool from Lancashire3D. Photo via Lancashire3D.

Creating 3D printing filaments from UK waste streams

Lancashire3D was founded in Preston in April 2018 and provides 3D scanning, reverse engineering and 3D printing services. At the in-house farm with 42 FFF and SLA 3D printers, parts are made for customers from a range of materials, including ABS, PLA and standard resin. The company also offers customers the option to use more durable materials such as carbon fiber composites and tough resin. The production capacity ranges from small to medium-sized prototypes and fabrications. Lancashire3D opened its first facility in January 2019 which has enabled the company to handle a wider range of high performing materials and allow customers to visit the company.

With the goal of being an “Eco Responsible 3D Printing Studio”, sustainability is an important goal of Lancashire3D. To reduce its environmental footprint, the company ensures that 95 percent of its plastic is recovered for waste production and recycled into sustainable 3D printing material. Recycling is completed on site to further reduce the carbon footprint by not shipping it to off-site recycling centers. Lancashire3D offers 3D printed products with a PET plastic that is 100 percent recycled, for example, while its ABS plastic is recycled up to 64 percent.

“We bring more than 10 years of experience in technology, design and industry with us and we strive to develop truly innovative ways to combine the art and science of 3D printing while realizing our vision of being as much as possible recycle and reuse, ”added Pearson.

With its new filament collection Sustainable Range, Lancashire3D continues to achieve its goal. The range was developed in response to the region’s lack of plastic waste recycling facilities that can process waste after 3D printing.

The new collection, made from the company’s UK 3D printing waste stream, will complement the existing range of recycled plastics and contain at least 50 percent recycled material. Lancashire3D offers the customer 3D printed items with the material at a reduced price in order to pass on the savings from recovering plastics both through material waste and through the customers themselves. The sustainable range currently only includes ABS, but will soon be expanded to include a 3D printing material made from PLA plastic.

Lancashire3D SLA parts. Image via Lancashire3D.Lancashire3D SLA parts. Image via Lancashire3D.

Sustainable 3D printing

As efforts are being made around the world to reduce single-use plastic production to more sustainable manufacturing processes, 3D printing companies are following suit to improve their environmental footprint.

For example the British brand for 3D printer filaments Filamentous released a new one 100% recycled plastic filaments this year. The material is made from PET plastic bottle waste that was developed in collaboration with Tridea, a company that specializes in converting plastic waste into 3D filaments. NefilatekThe Montreal-based startup also produces 3D printing filaments 100% recycled plastic.

Large 3D printer manufacturers are also taking a more sustainable approach to production. Based in Silicon Valley DLS Companies carbon recently released his new one RPU 130 resin, 30 percent of it is made from Susterra Propanediol, a plant-based material DuPont Tate & Lyle, a company specializing in organic products. Leading German 3D printer manufacturer EOS recently appointed a new CEO in Marie Langerwho wants to highlight the “positive environmental and social benefits” of 3D printing by focusing on sustainability.

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The picture shown shows a 3D printed sample made from double-recycled PLA waste plastic. Photo via Lancashire3D.

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recycled carbon fiber composites
27 Feb
Blog

Composites trade occasions concentrate on recycled carbon fiber, filament winding

The latest event news from the composites industry includes an upcoming workshop on recycled carbon fiber composites, a filament winding session, and a November 15 deadline to submit abstracts for the SAMPE 2020 conference and exhibition.

Source | ELK carbon Fiber

Workshop on recycled carbon fiber composites

The workshop on “Recycled carbon fibers for high-quality composite materials” will take place on November 28, 2019 in the Palazzo Granafei-Nervegna in Brindisi, Italy. The event is being organized by the research organization CETMA (Brindisi) and the industrial group Suez (Paris, France) in cooperation with the carbon fiber recycling specialist ELG Carbon Fiber (Coseley, UK) and endorsement from aerospace, defense and security company Leonardo Co. (Rome, Italy).

The aim of the workshop is to promote effective communication between the companies in the value chain. The latest developments and innovations in recycled carbon fibers will be featured by key companies in the industry. The presentations will focus on the properties of recycled carbon fibers, transformation processes for composites and devices
and applications.

Presentations will be given by two leading companies in the field of recycled carbon fiber on a global scale: Torsten Müller from Fraunhofer ICT (Pfinztal, Germany), who will focus on the transport sector, and Frazer Barnes from ELG Carbon Fiberwho will contextualize the role of recycling in the development of the carbon fiber industry.

The workshop is part of the dissemination activities of the REVALUE project, which is aimed at “REcycled carbon Fibers for composite materials with high value. “

The full agenda and information on how to attend can be found on the event website.

SAMPE 2020

Source | SAMPE

SAMPE 2020 calls for abstracts

The Society for the Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering (SAMPE, Diamond Bar, California, USA) has published a call for abstracts for the SAMPE 2020 conference and exhibition from May 4th to 7th, 2020 in Seattle, Washington, USA

SAMPE 2020 is looking for high-quality technical documents to be presented to the more than 3,000 participants of the event. Industry Executives, academics, graduate students, researchers, engineers, chemists, and business professionals are encouraged to submit an abstract. T.The engineering work usually focuses on research, development and applications in advanced materials and processes.

The deadline for submitting abstracts is November 15, 2019. Approvals will be announced in mid-December.

Click here to submit an abstractand to view the full proposed list of research topics.

World of Filament Winding 2019

MF Tech Srl. (Argentan, France) announces its World of Filament Winding 2019 Convention, which will take place November 26-27, 2019 in Ermenonville, France.

The last conference on filament development took place in 2005. After 13 years, the company has decided to bring all stakeholders in the filament winding industry back together. Since then, the world has changed, the company says: As cell phones have become intelligent smartphones, industrial equipment with lightweight designs and high-performance drives has become more productive. The need for energy efficient structures in various structural applications can be met with composites. To that end, filament development has strengthened its position in this new world and new markets will continue to emerge.

Visit the event website to register and download the full schedule.

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A Reciflex filament spool. Photo via Recreus.
19 Feb
Blog

Recreus promotes 3D printing sustainability with new 100% recycled TPU filament

Spain-based manufacturer of 3D printing materials, Recreus, has launched a new flexible TPU filament that is 100% recycled.

Reciflex consists exclusively of waste from the shoe industry and Recreus’ own production processes. As sustainability drifts into modern business practices, the company is making a contribution to the circular economy and reportedly delivering the same high level of performance as Recreus’ Filaflex flagship flexible filament.

The material is described as “easy to print” and can be used with all TPU-compatible FFF 3D printers on the market. Parts made with Reciflex can also be recycled once they have served their purpose. In addition to introducing the new material, Recreus has been renamed slightly. The company name now stands for “Recycle, Create, Use”.

A Reciflex filament spool. Photo via Recreus.

Flexible parts production with Reciflex

how is it done? As soon as the raw material is recovered, Recreus magnetically shields the polymer in order to pick out and remove any remaining metal residues. This enables the company to guarantee that the final filament will perform as expected during the printing process. The TPU then goes through a plastic grinder to crush it and turn it into small pellets. At this point it is drawn into a spool of usable filament.

It’s worth noting that Reciflex is currently only available in glossy black, as the company adds a black pigment to the final product to homogenize its otherwise rainbow-colored color. Although the TPU filament comprises several polymer sources, it offers an excellent set of mechanical properties, impact resistance, and solvent resistance. The list of potential uses includes RC car wheels and protective covers for phones, GoPros and drones – staples of the 3D printing community.

Various Reciflex spools can have hardnesses in the range of 96A to 98A SHORE ‘A’ due to the slight variations in their raw materials. However, the company says this difference cannot be noticed in the final 3D printed parts. For successful 3D printing of the filament, Recreus recommends a nozzle temperature of 220 to 235 ° C, a bed temperature of 50 to 60 ° C, and a print speed between 20 and 60 mm / s.It is available in spools of 750 g and 3 kg with a Filament diameters of 1.75 mm and 2.85 mm available.

A 3D printed part made from Reciflex. Photo via Recreus.A 3D printed protective cover made from Reciflex. Photo via Recreus.

Promotion of the circular economy

Additive manufacturing as a whole is largely viewed as a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional manufacturing techniques, but the message isn’t that clear when looking at the entire product lifecycle. Therefore, the advance towards sustainable raw material production is important.

The German polymer manufacturer Covestro announced the introduction of a new sustainable line of 3D printing materials back in November. Similar to Reciflex, the Addigy filament range is partly made from recycled polymers and ultimately aims to meet the needs of the circular economy.

Elsewhere in Amsterdam, 3D printing filament maker Reflow has already launched its own environmentally friendly line of translucent ‘Seaglass’ materials. The company’s sustainable line of six rPETG filaments is made from recycled plastic from the region and is characterized by its impact resistance and temperature resistance.

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The picture shown shows a Reciflex filament spool. Photo via Recreus.

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01 Jan
Blog

3ders.org – Owa 3D: Armor turns used printer cartridges into recycled HIPS 3D printing filament

September 29, 2016 | From Tess

French company manufacturing ink cartridges armor recently moved into the 3D printing materials industry with the launch of its first filament line, Owa 3D. The new filament, which is fully recycled and made from high impact polystyrene (HIPS), is part of the cartridge manufacturer’s effort to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic waste from printer cartridges.

About a year ago, Armor launched its Owa campaign, which aimed to reduce the amount of plastic cartridge waste in the world. According to the company, 360 million printer cartridges are purchased each year in Western Europe alone, a staggering 70% of which either end up in landfills or are incinerated and not recycled. Armor developed Owa as a circular economy approach to deal with this waste and reduce it significantly. Since the program was launched, Armor has been collecting old cartridges from companies and effectively converting them to new cartridges or breaking their materials down to become new office supplies.

Now Armor seems to be branching out even further with its Owa initiative with its new 3D printing filament. If you didn’t guess it, the Owa 3D filament itself is made from plastic from recycled cartridges as well as from other sources like yogurt containers etc. As mentioned earlier, the filament is made of high impact polystyrene, also known as HIPS, which is a more flexible and durable material than other standard 3D printing materials like PLA or ABS.

Owa 3D, currently available in both France and Japan, is preparing to launch across Europe (e.g. Germany, Belgium, Spain and Italy) as well as in the UK and Switzerland. The filament is compatible with most FDM 3D printers and will be available in standard filament spools of 750 g and in two diameters (1.75 mm and 2.85 mm). In addition, the recycled HIPS filament will be available in a range of 12 different colors and can be tested by customers using “Discovery” packages made up of six 162g spools of different colors.

Also noteworthy about Armor’s Owa process is that the company has agreed to pick up recyclable used cartridges from companies in order to create further incentives for recycling their office waste. From there, the used cartridges are taken to one of Armor’s processing plants, where they are either processed into new cartridges or into 3D printing filaments. The 3D printing filaments are currently being produced in the Armor factory in Morocco and in La Chevrolière near Nantes.

No prices have yet been set for the new recycled filament, but prospects and customers can follow the countdown to the product launch on the Owa 3D website.

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20 Dec
Blog

3ders.org – Coolrec and Refil launch HIPS 3D printer filament constituted of recycled fridges

October 17, 2018 | From Grijs

Coolrec, a subsidiary of international waste recycling company Renewi, is working with Refil to bring HIPS (High Impact PolyStyrene Plastic), a high-quality, soluble 3D printing filament made from plastic from old refrigerators.

HIPS 3D printer filament is a synthetic copolymer that is strong, durable, non-toxic and recyclable. Often used as a backing material, HIPS can be dissolved in d-limonene so your print is free of marks caused by removing the backing. HIPS is neutral in color and easy to paint or glue. It’s slightly lighter than ABS, making it a good choice for parts that can benefit from lower weight, such as toys, appliances, product packaging, and cases.

Coolrec specializes in the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment into high-quality plastics, metals and other secondary raw materials. The recycling process is carried out at Coolrec’s plant in Dordrecht, the Netherlands, where the recycler has a specially equipped processing line for large household appliances. According to a press release, Coolrec is also optimizing the HIPS filament for 3D printing by avoiding warpage and shrinkage.

After the first recycling of PET, ABS and PLA filaments, the Dutch company Refil is expanding its product range to include HIPS for the growing 3D printing market. From the beginning, your goal was to replace existing, environmentally harmful plastic filaments with an environmentally friendly product of the same caliber. The collaboration between Refil and Coolrec is a good example of two companies working together in the field of plastics recycling in their own specialty.

“While Coolrec is all about recycling electrical and electronic devices, Refil converts the plastics it purchases into 3D printing filaments and makes them available worldwide,” says Casper van der Meer, CEO of Refil. “Making recycled filament may seem easy, but maintaining a stable supply chain and maintaining high quality across batches is a real challenge. That is why it took us several years of development to ensure the quality of HIPS. We achieved this together with Coolrec. “

Arjen Wittekoek, Director of Coolrec: “Discarded devices are made from many valuable materials and still contain them. With innovative techniques, Coolrec can recover the plastics from the discarded refrigerators and reuse them in the manufacturing process of new products such as 3D printing filaments. For us, developing HIPS and working with Refil is another way of protecting the world from pollution, conserving limited resources and enabling our partners to achieve their sustainability goals. For this reason we are very proud to be involved in this circular collaboration. “

The HIPS filament is available in two standard diameters, 2.85 mm and 1.75 mm, and according to Refil and Coolrec it has been successfully tested on many 3D printers. To avoid waste, the filament is delivered on a unique, fully recyclable cardboard spool. The recycled HIPS filament from refrigerators costs 34 € / spool incl. VAT Refil and Coolrec are also working on a black filament made from the same type of plastic, but in this case from old televisions. It is expected to be available in early 2019.

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The filaments from Nefilatek. Photo via Nefilatek.
15 Dec
Blog

Filament startup Nefilatek launches 100% recycled plastic filament

Nefilatek, a Montreal-based startup that specializes in making recycled filaments, has developed 3D printing filaments made from 100% recycled plastic.

The company operates a Kickstarter page where early adopters can choose between two types of filaments: Nefila HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene) Black and Nefila PC (Polycarbonate), which come with reusable spool bobbins and environmentally friendly packaging. With its new filaments, Nefilatek wants to offer a “safe alternative solution for manufacturers, designers and manufacturers” that reduces the amount of plastic that is used and wasted in 3D printing.

The filaments from Nefilatek. Photo via Nefilatek.

Reducing the environmental impact of 3D printing

Nefilatek was founded in 2018 by two engineering students who both admired the capabilities of 3D printing that allowed inventors, product designers, and manufacturers to get their products to market faster, but were disillusioned with the environmental impact of the technology. They founded the company to combat the huge consumption of plastic in the 3D printing industry, a material that is a major environmental pollutant.

Nefilatek claims that the annual plastic consumption from the 3D printing industry is an estimated 30 million pounds, with a projected 250 million pounds by 2020. Currently, according to the company, it is also estimated that the production of 3D printing plastics will result in consumption of 1.4 Million barrels of oil that will generate over 800 million pounds of carbon emissions annually by 2020.

The Nefila HIPS and Nefila PC filaments

Nefilatek’s recycled filaments aim to have “less impact on the planet” for 3D printing. The company’s first filament, Nefila HIPS Black, is made from high-impact polystyrene recycled from Montreal’s electronic waste. The filament’s benefits include impact and heat-resistant 3D prints, while Nefilatek claims it maintains the same properties as standard ABS. The HIPS filament can also be dissolved and smoothed with the sustainable oils D-limonene and turpentine.

The company is currently conducting final testing of its Nefila PC filament extrusion process prior to commercialization. The filament consists of 100% thermoplastic polycarbonate polymers and is geared towards technical applications due to its firm and flexible mechanical properties. It is also resistant to large temperature fluctuations (-50 ° C to + 130 ° C).

Nefilatek is also working on developing a white variant of its Nefila HIPS filament and is also ready to conduct research and development tests on various other materials, including nylon and polypropylene. Since beginning development of its filaments in 2018, Nefilatek launched a Kickstarter in January 2019 to fund further research and development of its filaments with the aim of bringing them to market. The company plans to ship its Kickstarter filament orders in June 2019.

Standard filaments compared to Nefilatek's recycled filament. Image via Nefilatek.Standard filaments compared to Nefilatek’s recycled filament. Image via Nefilatek.

Filaments made from recycled materials

Several other initiatives have also been launched to help reduce the environmental impact of 3D printing by using recycled materials to make 3D printing filaments. Examples of this are the British brand’s ONE PET filament for 3D printer filaments Filamentous. The company offers a 100% recycled plastic filaments Made from PET plastic bottle waste for end users. ONE PET was produced in collaboration with Tridea, a company that specializes in converting plastic waste into 3D filaments.

In addition, researchers from the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) have also used Recycled (PET) plastic found in water bottles, yogurt containers, and other recyclable waste materials 3D printing filaments. By using reclaimed materials, service members can quickly use 3D printing to create replacement parts for military vehicles, weapons and equipment.

You can now cast your vote for the third year 3D Printing Industry Awards. Help determine this year’s winners nowand choose the best initiative with 3D printing to create a better world.

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The picture shown shows filaments from Nefilatek. Photo via Nefilatek.

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3D Printz Partners with Fishy Filaments to Distribute Recycled Nylon 3D Printing Filament - 3DPrint.com
14 Dec
Blog

3D Printz Companions with Fishy Filaments to Distribute Recycled Nylon 3D Printing Filament – 3DPrint.com

There are many unique and even weird materials that innovative people have used to 3D print from a wide variety of foods like chocolate, meat and fake meat, sugar, salt, pancake batter, and even grapes to almost every metal imaginable like aluminum, titanium, stainless steel , Copper, cobalt chrome and gold. Obviously we are 3D printing with lots of plastics and lots of biomaterials, and people are 3D printing materials like ceramics, glass, diamonds, cloth and even cannabis!

Cornwall-based startup Fishy Filaments has another interesting 3D printing material: it turns recycled nylon fishing nets into technical filaments to save marine life.

“Fishy Filaments’ recycled nylon (also known as PA6) is unusual, possibly unique, in the world of 3D printing filaments. We can track the polymers we reclaim from their original sources, mostly in Japan, down the global fishing net supply chain, through commercial fisheries and ultimately to our doorstep, ”the website says.

“This is possible because the nylon used in commercial fishing meets very high standards to meet the demands of an extremely tough industry.”

By the time Fishy Filaments got the nets from its independent third-party laboratories, Cornish fishermen have been using them for several months, but that’s all as the net surfaces become cloudy and no longer catch any fish. The nylon from these nets is a little salty and sometimes even sticks with pieces of kelp, but the company says, “The underlying high quality polymer is still there.” They also want to keep it that way by not over-processing the material and destroying its value by adding chemical modifiers.

Since the official launch of the recycled fishing net filament last year, the Cornish start-up claims that artists, hobbyists, professional product designers and even heavy industry have used the material sensibly.

“We’re already getting inquiries from all over the world, even though we don’t have a huge marketing budget, but we only want to partner with companies that share our values,” said Ian Falconer, Director of Fishy Filaments.

“All of our polymer blends are 100% recycled. We don’t add pigments or other modifiers. Instead, we work with the nets we get from fishing fleets, sorting them by color and wear, and processing them separately to maximize their potential.

“We then combine the qualities to give customers a consistent mix that they can add their own uniqueness and value through 3D printing.

“If we didn’t take these nets and turn them into filament, most of them would be landfilled.”

Another UK company that clearly shares the startup’s values ​​is 3D Printz Limited, based in Telford and headquartered in Shropshire, bordering Wales to the west. The two recently signed an environmentally friendly distribution agreement that will benefit 3D Printz by helping to expand its range of products for 3D printing.

“We are excited about this partnership,” said Peter Roberts, Director of 3D Printz. “All business areas should do everything possible to help the environment. We are therefore very pleased that we can add fish filaments to our growing range.”

Porthcurno

3D printing has the potential to be a more sustainable manufacturing method and this factor is widely discussed in the industry. There is less energy consumption and material waste, more sustainable material options and often less shipping requirements. A partnership between a 3D printing specialist and a supplier like 3D Printz and Fishy Filaments that focuses on sustainability is hugely beneficial to both.

You can purchase Fishy Filaments’ Premium Porthcurno Mixture on 750g spools for £ 59.99 (including VAT) on the 3D Printz website sales portal. Porthcurno was named after a spectacular beach in the UK and, according to the startup, is well suited for applications where flexibility and translucency are required. Because of its light blue-green color, many off-the-shelf dyes are quite suitable. 3D Printz offers free delivery on orders over £ 50.

Ian Falconer with the recycled nylon fishing nets into technical filaments.

(Source: Shropshire Live / Images: Fish Filaments)

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