A recyclebot (or RecycleBot) is an
open-source hardware
Open-source hardware (OSH) consists of physical artifacts of technology designed and offered by the open-design movement. Both free and open-source software (FOSS) and open-source hardware are created by this open-source culture movement and ...
device for
converting waste plastic into filament for open-source
3D printers
3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer c ...
like the
RepRap
The RepRap project started in England in 2005 as a University of Bath initiative to develop a low-cost 3D printer that can print most of its own components, but it is now made up of hundreds of collaborators worldwide. RepRap is short for rep''lic ...
. Making
DIY
"Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...
3D printer filament at home is both less costly and better for the environment than purchasing conventional 3D printer filament. In following the RepRap tradition there are recyclebot designs that use most 3-D printable parts.
Motivation and benefits
RepRap 3D printers have been shown to reduce costs for consumers by offsetting purchases that can be printed. The RepRap's plastic feedstock is one area where cost can still be reduced. In 2014 professor
Joshua Pearce
Joshua M. Pearce is an academic engineer at Western University and Michigan Tech known for his work on protocrystallinity, photovoltaic technology, open-source-appropriate technology, and open-source hardware including RepRap 3D printers.
...
pointed out that "Filament is retailing for between $36 and $50 a kilogram and you can produce your own filament for 10 cents a kilogram if you use recycled plastic" The device can thus further enhance RepRap affordability by reducing operating costs. In addition, by reducing
prosumers' reliance on purchased products, the RepRap and the recyclebot have made it feasible for 3D printing to be used for small-scale manufacturing to aid
sustainable development
Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...
. It has been postulated that recycled filament production could also offer an alternative income source by the
Ethical Filament Foundation or as a form of "
fair trade
Fair trade is an arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships. The fair trade movement combines the payment of higher prices to exporters with improved social and envir ...
filament". It has also been shown to improve the
energy payback time of even known
green energy
Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Most definitions of sustainable energy include considerations of environmental aspects such as greenho ...
technologies like
solar photovoltaics
Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially u ...
.
Technology
The RecycleBot is an open-source hardware project – thus its plans are freely available on the Internet.
* RecycleBot curated by academics in Canada and the U.S. on Appropedia
here and at the RepRap Wiki
here. For example, the full parts list (or
bill of materials
A bill of materials or product structure (sometimes bill of material, BOM or associated list) is a list of the raw materials, sub-assemblies, intermediate assemblies, sub-components, parts, and the quantities of each needed to manufacture an end ...
) for the metal and electronic components and the controls are available on
Thingiverse
Thingiverse is a website dedicated to the sharing of user-created digital design files. Providing primarily free, open-source hardware designs licensed under the GNU General Public License or Creative Commons licenses, the site allows contributo ...
.
*
Lyman filament extruder – a DIY recyclebot
History
The history of the RecycleBot was largely derived from the work on the RepRap Wiki under
GNU Free Documentation License
The GNU Free Documentation License (GNU FDL or simply GFDL) is a copyleft license for free documentation, designed by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) for the GNU Project. It is similar to the GNU General Public License, giving readers the ...
1.2.
The first recyclebot was developed by students at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. This design was a proof of concept and was hand-powered, and so had a small
ecological footprint
The ecological footprint is a method promoted by the Global Footprint Network to measure human demand on natural capital, i.e. the quantity of nature it takes to support people or an economy. It tracks this demand through an ecological account ...
, but did not create filament of high enough quality to be useful for
3D printers
3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer c ...
. The design for th
waste plastic extruder(Recyclebot v2.0 and v2.1) developed at
Queen's University Canada and
Michigan Tech was heavily influenced by the Web4Deb extruder, which extrudes
HDPE
High-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polyethylene high-density (PEHD) is a thermoplastic polymer produced from the monomer ethylene. It is sometimes called "alkathene" or "polythene" when used for HDPE pipes. With a high strength-to-density rat ...
for use as a growth medium in aquaponics. This design for the recyclebot was developed, tested and published in the peer-reviewed
rapid prototyping
Rapid prototyping is a group of techniques used to quickly fabricate a scale model of a physical part or assembly using three-dimensional computer aided design ( CAD) data.
Construction of the part or assembly is usually done using 3D printin ...
literature. This device proved viable for producing
3D printing filament
3D printing filament is the thermoplastic feedstock for fused deposition modeling 3D printers. There are many types of filament available with different properties.
Filament comes in a range of diameters, most commonly 1.75 mm and 2.85 mm, with t ...
. Th
Recyclebot v2.2is being developed by the Michigan Tech in Open Sustainability Technology Research Group.
Many
makers or
DIY
"Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...
enthusiasts have made various versions of RecycleBots. The most notable is the
Lyman filament extruder. Lyman, a retired engineer, won a design contest to make a low-cost 3D filament fabrication system. As of 2014, there were many types of recyclebots, many of which are at the early stages of commercialization.
Futurist speculation
Jeremy Rifkin
Jeremy Rifkin (born January 26, 1945) is an American economic and social theorist, writer, public speaker, political advisor, and activist. Rifkin is the author of 23 books about the impact of scientific and technological changes on the economy ...
has hypothesized that such recycling with recyclebots and distributed production with 3D printing will lead to a zero marginal cost society.
The science-fiction author,
Bruce Sterling
Michael Bruce Sterling (born April 14, 1954) is an American science fiction author known for his novels and short fiction and editorship of the '' Mirrorshades'' anthology. In particular, he is linked to the cyberpunk subgenre.
Sterling's fir ...
wondered in
Wired if recyclebots and 3D printers might be used to turn waste into guns. Recyclebots can provide a new method of recycling.
[Baltodano, S. (2013). RISE. http://www.mme.fiu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/F13-OR-T-4.pdf]
References
{{reflist, 2
Recycling
Fused filament fabrication
Plastic recycling