The objective of this project is to create an all in one system to take in TPU pellets and extrude and spool 3D printing filament for future use.
Sponsored By: Unis Brands
Team Members
Benjamin Henry | Gabrael Qazi | John Taltavall | Jian Tian | Shihao Wu | Lin Zhang | | | | | |
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Project Summary
Overview
Unis Brands utilizes 3D printing in order to make custom shoes from TPU filament. With the company’s focus on sustainability, they wanted a means of recycling waste plastic from the printing process and a way for individuals to send their shoes back in to be recycled. An all in one system was required to take in pelletized TPU and then extrude and spool it as filament for future use.
Objectives
An all in one system was necessary that would extrude, cool, and spool TPU pellets into new 3mm filament which could be interchanged with new filament from the manufacturer. Additionally, it needed to be a desktop-size system which was relatively hands-off to operate.
Approach
– Conducted an initial meeting with the sponsor in order to gain a full understanding of what they were looking for in a system, both needs, and a wish list
– Split the system into three main components, extrusion, cooling, and spooling which were tackled individually to be combined as a system later
– Sourced different kit options for the main components after research revealed it would be more time and cost-effective to do so
– Assembled the extrusion kit and after confirming it was working properly design began on a way to work it into the system
– Base plate and a support structure were assembled and the extruder was affixed to it
– A better-designed hopper was added to increase system throughput
– Additionally, components were sourced, but university closure did not allow for the combination of all parts into a working system, as such instructions for assembly, were made for the rest of the system
Outcomes
– The sponsor will be able to assemble the final system upon delivery of all the components
– The system will recycle waste plastic and old product to reduce waste and save on filament costs
– The system allows the sponsor to begin transitioning to a closed-loop system where they will no longer need to buy filament
– Inclusion of the system allows the sponsor to meet their goal of sustainability focus