Recyclebot

A recyclebot (or RecycleBot) is an open-source hardware device for converting waste plastic into filament for open-source 3D printers like the RepRap. Making DIY 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 mostly 3-D printable parts. This machine, licensed GPLv3, can be seen in the Figure.

A recyclebot (or RecycleBot) is an open-source hardware device for converting waste plastic into filament for open-source 3D printers like the RepRap. Making DIY 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 mostly 3-D printable parts. This machine, licensed GPLv3, can be seen in the Figure.

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 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. 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 filament". It has also been shown to improve the energy payback time of even known green energy technologies like solar photovoltaics.

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. The science-fiction author, Bruce Sterling wondered in Wired if recyclebots and 3D printers might be used to turn waste into guns. Recyclebots can provide a new method of recycling.

References

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1373233564 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.