Gerardo Enrique Sosa Valenzuela, Paola Michelle Pascua Cantarero

Abstract: The research presented below aimed to determine the feasibility of recycling Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottles through the manufacturing and use of 3D printing filaments at a Honduran University using Design of Experiments. Additive manufacturing has gained importance in recent years due to its advantages and innovative applications. It is used in various industries because it allows the creation of highly customized products and complex designs. One of its disadvantages is the cost of printing filaments; however, using filaments made from PET bottles could reduce associated costs. As a first step, a filament extruder was developed, and PET printing filament was manufactured through a filament extrusion process. The amount of filament that could be obtained from each size of PET bottle was then measured. Cylindrical specimens, 2.54 centimeters in diameter and 5.08 centimeters in height were 3D printed and subjected to compression strength tests in a hydraulic press to determine the material's strength. The strength of the PET-based specimens was compared with those made from Polylactic Acid (PLA). Finally, a factorial design with two factors, two levels, and ten replications was developed in Minitab, and the variance of the resistance of the specimens made from filaments of green and transparent bottles of two and three liters was analyzed. The results of the factorial design demonstrated a significant difference in the strength of the specimens manufactured from the four groups of bottles. This indicates that the color and volume of the bottle significantly affect the strength of the specimens printed with Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET).

Keywords: Strength tests, filament extrusion, 3D printing, recycling PET bottles, Design of Experiments

Date Published: November 4, 2024
DOI: 10.11159/jffhmt.2024.038

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