recycled Archives - Perfect 3D Printing Filament

Italian company WASP (World’s Advanced Saving Project) always manages to surprise me with the multitude of unique 3D printers it develops. At last year’s formnext event, the company introduced its Industrial 4.0 line, and this year, at formnext 2019, WASP will once again amaze visitors to the huge trade fair with something new: the Delta WASP 2040 TECH, which can print PEEK pellets.

PEEK, or polyetheretherketone, is notoriously difficult to print with, and requires a nozzle temperature of at least 380°C to properly extrude the high-strength thermoplastic. But WASP has never been one to back away from a challenge, as it’s always on the lookout for new ways to approach additive manufacturing. In fact, the company introduced its first pellet 3D printer three years ago, but it certainly wasn’t capable of working with PEEK, which it refers to as a ‘super polymer.’

“Peek pellet printing is undoubtedly a revolutionary application and the impact of this innovation on the entire WASP-printers-line is extraordinary,” the company stated in a press release.

The Delta WASP 2040 TECH 3D printer is the first of a new line that comes with a high-precision HD extruder for pellets. The company says it’s a novel machine because of the fully insulated, stainless steel, high-temperature chamber that makes it possible to print PEEK pellets.

Prosthesis from peek pellet Delta WASP 2040 TECH

“Healthcare has always been a huge branch of the applications for additive manufacturing since its beginning. This sector is showing us how tangibly 3D printing can improve our lives but also challenging every new technology and inspiring innovation,” WASP’s Giulio Buscaroli wrote on the WASP website.

“In this context, WASP is proud to unveil the results of its work on printing medical-grade PEEK from pellets with a brand new line of 3D printers: Delta WASP Tech line.”

The company has been busy researching in the medical field, and the new Delta WASP 2040 TECH is the culmination of all this hard work. The purpose of this pellet 3D printer is to fabricate implantable prostheses, in certified PEEK, at a more affordable cost. Neurosurgeon Dr. Villiam Dallolio has been helping WASP to develop the process, and the Delta WASP 2040 TECH will be showcased next week at formnext.

Delta WASP 3MT concrete 3D printing

But that isn’t the only new system WASP is bringing to the trade fair in Frankfurt. The company has been gaining experience in the architectural field as well as the medical, and will be showcasing its Delta WASP 3MT CONCRETE 3D printer – another novelty, which is capable of 3D printing large, fluid, dense materials. The company wrote that the new 3D printer “optimized the previous LDM system with a certified one,” which makes it possible to print materials like concrete through a continuous feeding method.

Finally, WASP will also be presenting its new Delta WASP 3MT INDUSTRIAL 4.0 3D printer at formnext. The printer features a continuous feeding system and optimized extruder so that it can print 100% recycled pellet polymers.

“It’s a solution for increasingly advanced medical applications but not only: WASP has identified in the pellet printing the answer to the increasingly essential needs of recycling plastic materials and also to the need of producing furniture tailored pieces,” the company wrote.

To see these three new 3D printers for yourself, you can visit WASP at formnext, November 19-22, at Stand B79 in Hall 11.0.

[Images provided by WASP]

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In this recently published study, ‘Recycled Cellulose Polypropylene Composite Feedstocks for Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing,’ researchers from the US explain their findings in using not only composites but those made out of recycled material. Here, the focus is on using polypropylene reinforced with cellulose waste to create 3D printing filament for material extrusion additive manufacturing (MEAM).

With cellulose being more commonly used to strengthen thermoplastics, today, such composites can be helpful in applications such as decking, paneling, furniture, household goods, and more. Not only are they plentiful, but also affordable to use—and best of all, renewable. Such materials also offer strength, low-bulk density—along with less abrasion, meaning that products last longer. To date, many studies have centered around ABS and PLA composites; in fact, some have even included using materials like ground-up macadamia shells with ABS.

For this study, materials like wastepaper, cardboard, and wood flour were used for additives, with powders melted into filament and then printed into samples for testing, considering that mechanical properties could be affected due to filler, along with wettability.

“Strong particle–matrix interfacial adhesion can improve toughness due to efficient stress transfer between phases,” stated the researchers. “On the other hand, poor wetting can lead to debonding, plastic void growth, and shear banding mechanisms, which absorb energy and can improve toughness.”

The composites were created through pulverization, minimizing particles for better results in fabricating samples. The ingredients used for the composite were rather interesting too, in the form of Wegmans and Great Value yogurt containers, along with office printer paper, corrugated cardboard, and wood flour.

“Recycled polypropylene from yogurt containers was cleaned by rinsing with water, ethanol and drying in the air at room temperature. The labels were removed before cutting into pieces that could be fed into the paper shredder (Compucessory model CCS60075). Wastepaper and cardboard were fed through an identical cross-paper shredder,” explained the researchers.

Recycled PP and cellulose starting materials, powder, and filament generated from SSSP. (A) Waste paper, (B) rPP/WP SSSP powder, (C) rPP/WP filament, (D) rPP shreds, (E) rPP/CB SSSP powder, (F) rPP/CB filament, (G) wood flour, (H) rPP/WF SSSP powder, (I) rPP/WF filament. WP = waste paper, CB = cardboard, WF = wood flour.

While all the samples were 3D printed as planned, the researchers pointed out that clogging was an issue for some pieces when using the typical 0.5 mm nozzle. The team theorized that cellulose was responsible for the clogging due to some particles not ground finely enough. Cardboard and paper did not always remain sufficiently mixed either. 3D printing was performed on a Lulzbot Taz 6 3D printer, with a 100 °C bed temperature and a 220 °C nozzle temperature used.

“Sections along the length of a filament spool were examined by scanning electron microscope and thermogravimetric,” concluded the researchers. “The rPP/CB composites have a greater loading of cellulose compared to the commercial PP (cPP)/CB composites, but loading does not change significantly along the ca. 30 ft. examined. Further, weight percent remaining by TGA does not show significant differences in char along each respective filament.”

Ultimate tensile strength (hatched bars) and modulus (solid bars) of printed PP with 10 wt % cellulose. *, **, # significantly different from the respective control. WP = waste paper, CB = cardboard, WF = wood flour.

While 3D printing today offers a host of different materials to choose from as a whole, many are better when reinforced, meaning that composites are becoming increasingly more popular from copper metal to continuous wire polymers or continuous carbon, and more—even to include alternatives like wood and cork.

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[Source / Images: [‘Recycled Cellulose Polypropylene Composite Feedstocks for Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing’]

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