Reports indicate that the UK-based 3D printing filament company Filamentive has recently issued a declaration of recycled content for the company’s 3D printing materials, along with releasing a 100% recycled ONE PET filament. Apparently, this move from the company is expected to set a standard for environmentally conscious additive manufacturing (AM) products.
Generally, 3D printing is billed as an eco-conscious production process in contrast to other mass production methods, however it still relies on plastic consumption and produces a fair share of plastic waste. The company said it is precisely aware of this problem and is working to solve it.
Further from the reports, ONE PET, the company’s new material, is completely made of post-consumer PET plastic bottles and exhibits the commitment of Filamentive to make its business model as ecological as possible. The filament was developed in association with Belgian recycling business Tridea.
Founder and Managing Director of Filamentive, Ravi Toor, spoke on the collaboration saying the company feels that it is its duty to prioritize the use of recycled materials in a market where plastic is the material feedstock and, in a world, where less than 10 percent of plastic is recycled. Toor further said that by working with Tridea, Filamentive is progressing towards lowering the post-consumer waste, that has a significant lower recycling rate compared to the post-industrial waste streams.
Sources familiar with the matter cited that the 100% recycled ONE PET filament has exhibited toughness, stiffness, excellent layer adhesion and good print qualities in terms of its usability. The company adds that the printed material has showcased a better tensile strength than PETg, though it has less impact resistance in comparison to the standard PETg.
Philippe Merillet, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Tridea, said in a statement that the company delivers a wholly novel and innovative means of utilizing waste, which enables Tridea to multiply the consumables’ lifespan by considering its lifecycle of pre-consumer to consumer to post-consumer.