Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Applied Engineering (ICAE 2025)

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Design and Fabrication of a Machine for Converting Plastic Bottles into 3D Printing Filaments

Authors
Alhassan Tawfiq Ahmed1, *, Stephen Kofi Armah1
1Ashesi University, Berekuso, Ghana
*Corresponding author. Email: alhassan.ahmed@ashesi.edu.gh
Corresponding Author
Alhassan Tawfiq Ahmed
Available Online 29 December 2025.
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6463-982-7_20How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Additive manufacturing; Polyethylene Terephthalate; Thermoplastic extrusion; PID Controller; Recycling
Abstract

Plastic waste pollution has been on an upward trajectory since its discovery and causes harm to the environment. This project focuses on the design and fabrication of a machine for converting waste plastic bottles into 3D printing filaments, addressing the growing concern of plastic waste in the African continent. The machine utilizes terephthalate (PET) bottles, which transform them into usable filaments for additive manufacturing. The design process involves a thorough analysis of user requirements and constraints, ensuring a functional and user-friendly system. Key components, including the heating mechanism, extrusion nozzle, and spooling system, were tested and evaluated. PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) control was embedded in the electronics of the heating and melting mechanisms to ensure that the mechanism was kept at the exact melting point of the PET bottle. The results demonstrated that the machine successfully produces a filament with a consistent diameter and adequate mechanical properties.

Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Applied Engineering (ICAE 2025)
Series
Advances in Engineering Research
Publication Date
29 December 2025
ISBN
978-94-6463-982-7
ISSN
2352-5401
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6463-982-7_20How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Alhassan Tawfiq Ahmed
AU  - Stephen Kofi Armah
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/29
TI  - Design and Fabrication of a Machine for Converting Plastic Bottles into 3D Printing Filaments
BT  - Proceedings of the  8th International Conference on Applied Engineering (ICAE 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 331
EP  - 349
SN  - 2352-5401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-982-7_20
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-982-7_20
ID  - Ahmed2025
ER  -