Viability production of filaments for 3D printing using recycled polypropylene

Abstract

Due to the high consumption of polymeric materials, inadequate disposal, and lack of options after their useful life, recycling is necessary. The focus of this research was the mechanical recycling of polypropylene (PP) from yogurt containers. As an alternative to reusing and adding post-consumer value to this material, the objective was to evaluate the recycled material for the production of filaments for 3D printing. Several stages were carried out for this purpose, with this paper reporting on: physical-chemical analysis of melt flow index (MFI) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA); filament manufacturing by extrusion; evaluation of filament homogeneity control; 3D printing of test specimens; tensile testing, and optical microscopy. The results were compared to the commercial PP raw material and a commercial filament. All stages of this research were successfully completed, demonstrating the feasibility of studies on the recycling of polypropylene.