Turn Your Failed 3D Prints into New Filament with ExtrudeX

There is a lot of talk about plastic waste in the 3D printing community. Failed prints, iterations of prototypes, and supports all add up to quite a bit of plastic that usually ends up in a landfill. But with ExtrudeX, just launched on Kickstarter, you can turn that plastic waste into fresh new filament.

Personally, I believe that 3D printing plastic waste is often exaggerated as a problem from an environmental perspective. Compared to the large sources of plastic waste, such as packaging materials and food containers, 3D printing is barely noticeable. But less waste is always a good thing and for those who do a lot of printing, recycling filament could result in real monetary savings.

ExtrudeX is a desktop machine that aids in that recycling. Users start by grinding up their waste plastic in a blender. They then put the ground-up plastic into the ExtrudeX’s hopper. The machine will push that down into a hot end, which extrudes filament. A motorized wheel set on the machine then grabs the filament and continues to pull it as a cooling fan blows across it.

This works best when you mix the waste plastic with new virgin plastic pellets. Creative3DP recommends 60% virgin plastic and 40% waste plastic. So while you can’t realistically produce 100% recycled filament, you can get a very good ratio.

If you want an ExtrudeX, you can back the Kickstarter campaign until January 1st. You’ll then receive the STL files and instructions you need to build your own machine. In addition to the 3D-printable parts, you’ll need some affordable hardware and electronic components to complete the build.