Use of recycled plastics for production of 3D printing filaments and their properties characterization
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3846/da.2026.2465Language:
EnglishAbstract
The increasing amount of plastic waste and limited recycling possibilities encourage the search for solutions that enable the use of secondary raw materials in sustainable product manufacturing. One of the promising approaches is the use of recycled plastics for the production of 3D printing filaments. This study investigates the application of recycled plastics for filament production and evaluates their properties. In laboratory conditions, 3D printing filaments were produced by extrusion from recycled LDPE, HDPE, and PP-ET plastics. The produced filaments were used for 3D printing, and the mechanical properties of the printed specimens were evaluated through tensile testing. The stability of the filament extrusion and printing processes was also assessed. The results showed that recycled plastics can be used for 3D printing filament production; however, their mechanical properties depend on the type of plastic, selected processing parameters, material composition, and the presence of additives.
Article in Lithuanian
Keywords:
recycled plastics, secondary raw materials, waste, 3D printing, extrusion, mechanical properties, circular economyBremer, M., Janoschek, L., Kaschta, D., Schneider, N., & Wahl, M. (2022). Influence of plastic recycling—a feasibility study for additive manufacturing using glycol modified polyethylene terephthalate (PETG). SN Applied Sciences, 4(5), Article 156. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-022-05039-3
Chu, J. S., Koay, S. C., Chan, M. Y., Choo, H. L., & Ong, T. K. (2022). Recycled plastic filament made from post-consumer expanded polystyrene and polypropylene for fused filamant fabrication. Polymer Engineering and Science, 62(11), 3786–3795. https://doi.org/10.1002/pen.26144
Exconde, M. K. J. E., Co, J. A. A., Manapat, J. Z., & Magdaluyo, E. R. (2019). Materials selection of 3D printing filament and utilization of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in a redesigned breadboard. Procedia CIRP, 84, 28–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2019.04.337
Ghabezi, P., Flanagan, T., & Harrison, N. (2022). Short basalt fibre reinforced recycled polypropylene filaments for 3D printing. Materials Letters, 326, Article 132942. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2022.132942
Hasan, M. M., Navid Islam Taj, N. M., Hasan Naime, M. M., Islam, M. M., Rahman Biswas, M. M., & Rana, M. T. (2025). Production of 3D printing filament from recycled plastic bottles using fused deposition modeling. In 2025 4th International Conference on Robotics, Electrical and Signal Processing Techniques (pp. 50–54). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICREST63960.2025.10914467
Hidalgo-Carvajal, D., Muñoz, Á. H., Garrido-González, J. J., Carrasco-Gallego, R., & Alcázar Montero, V. (2023). Recycled PLA for 3D printing: A comparison of recycled PLA filaments from waste of different origins after repeated cycles of extrusion. Polymers, 15(17), Article 3651. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15173651
Ibrahim, I., Ashour, A. G., Zeiada, W., Salem, N., & Abdallah, M. (2024). A systematic review on the technical performance and sustainability of 3D printing filaments using recycled plastic. Sustainability, 16(18), Article 8247. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16188247
International Organization for Standardization. (2012). Plastics—Determination of tensile properties. Part 2: Test conditions for moulding and extrusion plastics (ISO Standard No. 527-2:2012). https://www.iso.org/standard/56046.html
Mikula, K., Skrzypczak, D., Izydorczyk, G., Warchoł, J., Moustakas, K., Chojnacka, K., & Witek-Krowiak, A. (2021). 3D printing filament as a second life of waste plastics—a review. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28, 12321–12333. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10657-8
Morales, M. A., Maranon, A., Hernandez, C., Michaud, V., & Porras, A. (2023). Colombian sustainability perspective on fused deposition modeling technology: Opportunity to develop recycled and biobased 3D printing filaments. Polymers, 15(3), Article 528. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15030528
Morales Méndez, G., del Cerro Pérez, A., & del Cerro Velázquez, F. (2024). Prototype pultrusion of recycled polyethylene terephthalate plastic bottles into filament for 3D eco-printing: Education for a sustainable development project. Sustainability, 16(19), Article 8347. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16198347
Nikam, M., Pawar, P., Patil, A., Patil, A., Mokal, K., & Jadhav, S. (2024). Sustainable fabrication of 3D printing filament from recycled PET plastic. Materials Today: Proceedings, 103, 115–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2023.08.205
Oussai, A., Bártfai, Z., & Kátai, L. (2021). Development of 3D printing raw materials from plastic waste. A case study on recycled polyethylene terephthalate. Applied Sciences, 11(16), Article 7338. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11167338
Patel, M., Veronica, A., & Varadharajan, P. K. (2024). Intelligent filament production: Real-time control and optimization of recycled plastic extrusion for 3D printable filaments. In 2024 12th RSI International Conference on Robotics and Mechatronics (ICRoM) (pp. 187–192). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRoM64545.2024.10903573
Shiferaw, M. Z., & Gebremedhen, H. S. (2022). Recycled polymer for FDM 3D printing filament material: Circular economy for sustainability of additive manufacturing. In M. L. Berihun (Ed.), Lecture notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering: Vol. 412. Advances of science and technology (pp. 243–261). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93712-6_17
Spirio, A., Arrigo, R., Frache, A., Tuccinardi, L., & Tuffi, R. (2024). Plastic waste recycling in additive manufacturing: Recovery of polypropylene from WEEE for the production of 3D printing filaments. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 12(3), Article 112474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2024.112474
Wei, X., & Bähr, R. (2024). A comparative study of 3D printing with virgin and recycled polylactic acid filaments. CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology, 54, 75–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cirpj.2024.08.007
Zuraimi, R., Sulaiman, M. A., Mohamad, E., & Ghani, J. A. (2017). Tensile strength analysis of high density polyethylene for injection moulded parts. Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 11(1(1)), 151–164. https://jamt.utem.edu.my/jamt/article/view/2860
Downloads
Published
Conference Event
Section
Copyright
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
