Selected from the archive for the 3D Printing collection — a quick, visual way into the topic before you go deeper.
PlasticBank.org has printed the world's first 3D printing filament from recycled ocean plastic. The video shows the journey of collecting the plastic from the shorelines of Alaska, the sorting, recycling and a successful print from HPDE which is a very difficult plastic type for 3D printing. Selecting a hard to print but commonly found plastic type was an important part of the Plastic's for Change program. The extruder technology was developed at the University of British Columbia (UBC). The Plastic Bank is turning plastic waste into a currency in developing countries. A large part of The Plastic Bank's life improvement program is to empower the world's poor to become micro-recycling/manufacturing entrepreneurs by providing access to 3D printing. Other makers don't have to dredge the ocean for 3d printing plastic materials, though!