Design Problem

At the International School of Kenya we use 3D printers for numerous projects, using plastic filament to create models. The use of 3D printers allows for projects to have multiple iterations and changes since the 3D printers are fast and convenient. These iterations tend to build up and are never used; drafts, failed designs, rafts, and supports to hold the model, all of these extra prints build up and turn out as waste.

Design Process

First, there needed to be a grinder to crush up the plastic waste so that it could be melted. It’s impossible to melt all the pieces at once since they vary in size and material. The issue with creating a grinder was that it could melt the plastic as it crushed it up since this is what happened when we tried to put the plastic in the Plastiki Rafiki grinder. To design the grinder, I looked up different websites and companies that explored recycling plastic, and they mostly used shredders rather than grinders. Later on, I was able to find lots of videos looking at how to recycle 3D printing waste back into filament and was able to find a design that somebody had already made, which many others based their designs on.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3126931
All the parts were included, but this required me to cut aluminum, and this step would require a CNC Machine, which would have to be outsourced from somewhere else. Instead of making the grinder out of aluminum I thought it could be made from acrylic if the blades were thicker. In the unedited design there were multiple small blades because the tool that was used for melting and extruding the plastic was much smaller and the extruder we have could have bigger and less uniform pieces of plastic.

Link to Process Journal and Final Reflection Video

https://sites.google.com/isk.ac.ke/jonathanrwehumbizastempaths/home