We’ve all heard stories of the dangers of 3D printing, with fires from runaway hot ends or dodgy heated build plates being the main hazards. But what about the particulates? Can they actually…
This is coming from a big 3d printing nerd, but no, the average person is not able to reuse filament once it’s been used. There are commerically available machines made for turning bits of filament into reusable filament, but the process is incredibly difficult to manage on a hobby scale (you need to make sure your scrap is completely free of any debris or your filament will cause nonstop jams and clogs), the machines are very expensive, and you need a ton of scrap to get a usable amount of filament. I think that there are companies that offer recycling as a service, but again I can’t imagine it being viable on a hobbyist level.
I recognize that plastic waste is obviously a huge issue when it comes to 3d printing, and I agree that some aspects of the hobby can be deemed wasteful. One thing I think that is often overlooked though when it comes to this discussion is the reduction in shipping and handling waste 3d printing provides. Sure, I don’t really need that stupid Baby Yoda print, but if I was already going to buy a little figurine or plushy or whatever, at least the one I printed doesn’t come sealed between two pieces of form fit plastic, held together by plastic coated twist ties, all presented in a plastic-cardboard box with a see-through plastic window that was shipped from mainland China - all of which is getting tossed out. The total waste produced for printing the thing is measured solely in the amount of filament I used and the electricity used to keep the printer running; when you consider that most people print in PLA (which is supposed to be biodegradable) and have electricity subsidized in some shape or form through renewables, the hobby seems much less wasteful than the more popular form of consumerism (buying shit).
This is coming from a big 3d printing nerd, but no, the average person is not able to reuse filament once it’s been used. There are commerically available machines made for turning bits of filament into reusable filament, but the process is incredibly difficult to manage on a hobby scale (you need to make sure your scrap is completely free of any debris or your filament will cause nonstop jams and clogs), the machines are very expensive, and you need a ton of scrap to get a usable amount of filament. I think that there are companies that offer recycling as a service, but again I can’t imagine it being viable on a hobbyist level.
I recognize that plastic waste is obviously a huge issue when it comes to 3d printing, and I agree that some aspects of the hobby can be deemed wasteful. One thing I think that is often overlooked though when it comes to this discussion is the reduction in shipping and handling waste 3d printing provides. Sure, I don’t really need that stupid Baby Yoda print, but if I was already going to buy a little figurine or plushy or whatever, at least the one I printed doesn’t come sealed between two pieces of form fit plastic, held together by plastic coated twist ties, all presented in a plastic-cardboard box with a see-through plastic window that was shipped from mainland China - all of which is getting tossed out. The total waste produced for printing the thing is measured solely in the amount of filament I used and the electricity used to keep the printer running; when you consider that most people print in PLA (which is supposed to be biodegradable) and have electricity subsidized in some shape or form through renewables, the hobby seems much less wasteful than the more popular form of consumerism (buying shit).