Keywords

additive manufacturing, recycling

Abstract

Plastic waste is a critical worldwide problem that impacts additive manufacturing (AM). Extensive research has explored how plastic waste in AM can be reduced by recycling prints into new filament, with varying success. An alternative to filament-based extrusion is “fused granule fabrication” (FGF), which extrudes from pellets or granules. This method is often used for large area additive manufacturing (LAAM) of polymers. This paper expands upon the knowledge base from previous research on LAAM and examines the extent to which PETG can be recycled and reprinted through the same FGF tool without significant loss to its material properties. The metric used for comparing material properties is tensile testing along the direction of deposition. Recycled material was granulized, filtered, and dehydrated. This resulted in effective printing of 100% recycled PETG, with recycled samples demonstrating 83% of the tensile strength of virgin PETG.

Original Publication Citation

Thompson, N. and Weaver, J. M., “Closed Loop Recycling of PETG in Fused Granule Fabrication Additive Manufacturing Processes,” Proc. 33rd Annual International Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium - An Additive Manufacturing Conference, Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium.

Document Type

Conference Paper

Publication Date

2022

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/8600

Publisher

Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium

Language

English

College

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering

Department

Manufacturing Engineering

University Standing at Time of Publication

Senior

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Manufacturing Commons

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