Development and characterization of sustainable 3D printing filaments using post-consumer recycled PET: processing and characterization

Abstract

In recent times, FDM technology has been extensively utilized to reuse small-scale thermoplastic waste materials to produce 3D-printed structures for various engineering applications. However, recycled material such as PET (i.e., waste from beverage bottling) for 3D printing is less explored because of poor mechanical properties due to possible thermal degradation, uncontrolled crystallinity, and shrinkage issues during high fusion temperatures. Hence, the aim of this study is to develop high-quality filament from PET waste for 3D printing purpose. This study involves the investigation of rheological, chemical, thermal, and mechanical behavior of PET filaments produced by different grades of PET plastic waste. The results indicated that filament made from recycled PET (RPET) water bottles and RPET soda bottles have comparable results with virgin PET (VPET) filament samples. The tensile modulus, yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and tensile strain at break for RPET water bottle and RPET soda bottle made filament are 1932.78 MPa, 47.51 MPa, 52.44 MPa, and 98.86%; and 2009.66 MPa, 43.08 MPa, 46.08 MPa, and 7.46%, respectively. The novel filament produced from PET plastic waste has the capability to replace VPET filaments for fabricating high-quality structural parts through an additive manufacturing approach.