One Printer's Trash, Another's Treasure? Converting Filament Waste into Printable Resin

With growing environmental concerns around Additive Manufacturing (AM) waste, this research explores a novel approach to repurposing scrap filament, failed parts, and support material from Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) into photocurable resin for Vat Photopolymerization (VP) processes. Initial experiments in this work investigate the dissolution of waste ABS filament in acetone, blending it with raw resin, and curing the resulting hybrid mixture under UV light. The study also considers the potential need for additional photo initiators or other additives to maintain the material's stability and effective curing. To evaluate the mechanical properties of the new hybrid material, it is compared to standard VP materials using tensile testing. Dog bone samples were created according to the ASTM D638 tensile testing standard, and testing was performed using the MTS Criterion Model 43, 50 kN system. Young’s modulus, along with yield, ultimate, and fractured stresses, were derived from the experimental stress-strain curves. Although this hybrid recycled material may not be suitable for end-use parts, it presents a feasible solution for reducing waste in AM workflows and could be suitable for low-cost prototyping applications where material strength is not critical. This presentation outlines the experimental process, the materials used, and the potential implications for sustainable practices in filament and resin-based AM. Future work will explore replicating this repurposing process with other materials, such as Polylactic Acid (PLA) and nylon-based filaments. By creatively leveraging waste materials, this research could foster more sustainable AM practices and inspire innovative approaches to existing AM bottlenecks.