Would You be Interested in a Plastic Shredder to Recycle Plastics for 3D Printing?

[LambdaFF]

Yes, but when you look at the cost of the ones on sale... they are as expensive as low cost printers.
Also to get real small chips I think you need a 2 level machine and I haven't seen that just yet.

[Wolfie]

Yes, but when you look at the cost of the ones on sale... they are as expensive as low cost printers.
Also to get real small chips I think you need a 2 level machine and I haven't seen that just yet.

I think the cruncher has that covered. Not sure if its a 2 level or not.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KrTFz_diE0

[LambdaFF]

I think the cruncher has that covered. Not sure if its a 2 level or not.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KrTFz_diE0

My point exactly : seen the price tag on that one ?

[Wolfie]

My point exactly : seen the price tag on that one ?

Yes. About the cost of 10-20 spools of filament.

Its a tool. You have to weigh the cost of the tool against what it produces.

Lets look at it from another similar point of view....
== $1100
Caliber Conversion for 9mm == $300
Throw in another $200 for various tools.

So, investment in hardware runs about $1600.

All that to produce this:


Average price for those is $18 for a box of 50 off the shelf making each one cost about 36c each. 36c each time I pull the trigger.

Its ok, its worth it because I get quality time with my granddaughters..


And it makes her smile and be happy...

(Yes, she shot that)

Now, remember all that equipment? Yea, it lets me load the SAME round with better accuracy and precisely loaded for MY gun and it lets me do it for 15c a round instead of 36c. So, every IDPA shoot I go to with my granddaughter burns about 400rds between the two of us, thats $144 of retail ammo. The same match only costs me $60 with MY ammo saving my $84 every weekend. And using that press, I can churn out 400 per hour. So you do the math whether the $1600 price tag was worth it. My math says that in 20 weekends the hardware is paid for, less than half a year.

Now you want to talk expensive?


Thats a $6000 rifle (without the scope) and my granddaughter shooting it. It shoots ammo that runs $2.40 per round. Each trigger pull costs $2.40. Reloading only costs me $0.55 each round. So tell me if you think reloading saves money even with the cost.

So, lets draw from that for filament. Raw filament costs money. And some of that turns into scrap failed prints, rafts, supports, brims, etc. I have a choice, I can contribute to the plastic disposal problem and piss money down the drain by simply throwing it in the trash or I can spend some money, like in reloading, and convert that waste into usable materials.

And I am fully aware that I wont be producing a product as good as I can buy unlike in reloading where I can produce a superior product. I know its not going to be the best product unless I drop thousands (very plural) which I am not willing to do nor do I have the space. But for a modest investment (pretty close to the cost of the reloading rig) of a shredder and extruder I can produce a material that will be perfectly suitable for infill or rapid prototypes for testing prior to using virgin filament. I am also aware that filament use will be substantially less than round use from reloading and thus take far longer to recoop the investment.

A side benefit is that I can produce my own colors from raw virgin ABS pellets as well. So there is that aspect as well. It will provide me the ability to do something that would cost a hell of a lot of money to get MakerGeeks or MatterHackers to custom produce a color to my specs.

An additional benefit is being able to utilize totally free PET, ABS and HDPE as well as PP from waste materials used every day around the house. Soda and juice bottles. Shampoo bottles. Old abs toys. Food containers. Its free plastic. And without recycling into filament it all would be guaranteed to go out in the garbage. Some would end in landfill while others would be shipped to china as scrap.

So, is it cheap to recycle the spent plastic and turn it back into filament? No. Never said it would be. But if spools average $35, then at 40 spools its paid for. Thats a LOOOOONG time of printing. Likely years for me. So thats why I have not pulled the trigger yet. If I was a business doing prints and wanted quick cheap material for fill and test prings where I might have several printers going 24/7. Yes, it makes sense. As an individual running only one printer..no its not worth it. Yet. My volume would have to go way up or the equipment price would have to come way down.