If you look at plastic bottles and filament for 3D printers, it is not immediately obvious, but PET is used as the material in each case. PETFusion 2.0, a machine for recycling PET bottles, is now currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter. A rather unusual aspect of the crowdfunding campaign is that supporters are not promised the PETFusion 2.0, but rather the STL files that be can used to print the machine itself as supporters will most likely already own a 3D printer.
Depending on the support contribution, not only are the print templates, the list of necessary non-3D printable components, instructions and one-on-one support offered, but also a commercial license, which means that the PETFusion 2.0 can also be commercially produced and sold. Users receive the instructions for a contribution of $39. Since version 2.0 of the PETFusion already exists according to the videos shared, we consider the financial risk for supporters of this campaign to be rather low.
To produce filament from a plastic bottle, the PET bottle must be clean and free of labels. The bottle is cut into strips, which are then heated and printed themselves via a hotend with a diameter of 1.75 millimeters. As the filament is produced, it passes through an ink-based colorizer that, as the name suggests, colors the filament. A filament welder is installed so that users may be able to connect shorter pieces of filament seamlessly, ensuring large spools of filament for ambitious 3D printing projects. In sum, the PETFusion 2.0 is designed to be an all-in-one machine that combines cutting, extrusion, spooling, and welding.
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