A recyclebot (or RecycleBot) is an
open-source hardware device for
converting waste plastic into filament for open-source
3D printers like the
RepRap.[1] Making
DIY 3D printer filament at home is both less costly and better for the environment than purchasing conventional 3D printer filament.[2][3][4] In following the RepRap tradition there are recyclebot designs that use mostly 3-D printable parts.[5]
Motivation and benefits
RepRap 3D printers have been shown to reduce costs for consumers by offsetting purchases that can be printed.[6][7][8][9] The RepRap's plastic feedstock is one area where cost can still be reduced. In 2014 professor
Joshua Pearce 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"[10] The device can thus further enhance RepRap affordability by reducing operating costs.[11] 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.[12][13] It has been postulated that recycled filament production could also offer an alternative income source by the
Ethical Filament Foundation[14][15] or as a form of "
fair trade filament".[16] It has also been shown to improve the
energy payback time of even known
green energy technologies like
solar photovoltaics.[17]
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) for the metal and electronic components and the controls are available on
Thingiverse.[18][19]
The first recyclebot was developed by students at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.[21][22][23] This design was a proof of concept and was hand-powered, and so had a small
ecological footprint, but did not create filament of high enough quality to be useful for
3D printers. The design for the
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 for use as a growth medium in aquaponics.[24] This design for the recyclebot was developed, tested and published in the peer-reviewed
rapid prototyping literature.[25] This device proved viable for producing
3D printing filament. The
Recyclebot v2.2 is being developed by the Michigan Tech in Open Sustainability Technology Research Group.[26]
Many
makers or
DIY 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.[27] As of 2014, there were many types of recyclebots, many of which are at the early stages of commercialization. Recyclebot technology has been applied to
hangprinters to allow for fused particle fabrication of large prints without first having to form filament.[28]
Futurist speculation
Jeremy Rifkin has hypothesized that such recycling with recyclebots and distributed production with 3D printing will lead to a zero marginal cost society.[29]
The science-fiction author,
Bruce Sterling wondered in
Wired if recyclebots and 3D printers might be used to turn waste into guns.[30] Recyclebots can provide a new method of recycling.[31]