Waste-Reducing Plastic Recyclers

Solving global warming takes more than just trees

Two design students at Arizona State University, Ryan Colwick and Aleks Froelich, recently set up the ThermoLab recycler to use surplus plastic filament from 3D printing. The recycler purchased by the students and donated to the university is a Protocycler+ extruder model that breaks down plastics and polymers into usable spooled material. By utilizing the ThermoLab recycler, students will be able to preserve scrap material and filament from faulty printings or failed projects.

Through the ThermoLab recycler, the students will cut costs associated with purchasing 3D printing filament by 80% while reducing plastic landfill waste and protecting the oceans. The innovative eco-forward project won a Sustainability Challenge Grant from ASU's Changemaker Central. The ThermoLab recycler serves as a proof-of-concept for the economic viability and circularity of plastic extruders.