Study Examines Recycling Scrap Thermoplastic Parts and Shavings From 3D Printing
HOUSTON—Local Motors, a motor-vehicle manufacturer, and SABIC, a chemical company, have completed a joint study on the feasibility of recycling scrap thermoplastic parts and shavings from the 3D printing process rather than send them to a landfill. The study included analyzing the printability and mechanical properties of SABIC’s LNP Thermocomp AM reinforced compound, used by Local Motors, after being printed, reclaimed, ground and reprocessed into pellet form.
The study determined that material from post-production parts and scrap can potentially be reused in large format additive manufacturing (LFAM) or other processes, such as injection molding or extrusion, at amounts up to 100 percent. These insights can help identify a feasible path to circularity and an extended lifecycle for materials used by the LFAM industry.