Alex

Sustainable 3D printing material developer Filaret is working with Estonian authorities to recycle discarded cigarettes from the country’s beaches into filament.  As part of an initiative rolled out at local government level in Estonia’s capital Tallinn, special litter bins have been installed along some of the city’s beaches, in which the public are being encouraged to discard cigarette butts. In two months’ time, Filaret says it plans to return, and convert any waste collected from these into a new eco-friendly, compostable 3D printing material.  “I hope that these special cigarette bins will help to reduce this widespread marine litter,” said Tallinn Deputy Mayor Joosep Vimm. “What makes the project particularly interesting is that, in addition to just collecting the cigarette butts from the beach, they will be upcycled into compostable 3D printing material, thus reducing the problem of plastic waste.”  A Filaret cigarette recycling bin in Tallinn. Photo via Tallinn’s…    read more 

Researchers at the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) have come up with a way of making 3D printed polymeric lattice parts 100-times stronger than before.  Compared to traditional heat treatments, which strengthen plastic printed objects at the cost of deformability, the CityU approach only partially carbonizes them, to make them more robust and twice as ductile. Using their process, the team say it could be possible to realize sophisticated 3D prints with mechanical properties tailored to specific applications, such as coronary stents or bio-implants. “We found a way to convert weak and brittle 3D printed photopolymers into ultra-tough 3D architectures comparable to metals and alloys just by heating them under the right conditions, which is surprising,” says CityU Professor Lu Yang. “Our work provides a low-cost, simple and scalable route for making lightweight, strong and ductile mechanical metamaterials with virtually any geometry.” Chasing the “holy grail” of materials According…    read more 

Resin printing system manufacturer Onulis has announced the launch of the WRAPCure, a dual-function device that automatically post-cures Digital Light Processing (DLP) printed parts and repurposes waste resin.  Onulis’ original WRAP product line automatically converts used UV resin into fully-cured plastic stock, resulting in materials that can be CNC machined, and are safe for disposal as standard household waste. As such, the machine is designed to offer a cost-effective, eco-friendly alternative to hazardous waste disposal methods. The new WRAPCure retains all of the sustainable waste printing features of the WRAP, but adds the ability for users to post-cure DLP parts as well.  Onulis’ WRAPCure in DLP post-cure mode. Photo via Onulis. Automating the curing workflow All DLP 3D printed parts must be post-cured to ensure desired mechanical properties and dimensional accuracy. However, when it comes to post-curing, Onulis says current options still “fall short” of user needs, hence it has…    read more