Recycled Polypropylene Filament for 3D Printer: Extrusion Process Parameter Optimization

Abstract

The presence of recycled plastic materials for the 3D printing process expects that the production process will be more environmentally friendly and solve the problem of plastic waste globally. However, recycled plastic as a filament material in the 3D printing process is still limited. One of the ways to make recycled plastic filaments is by extrusion. This research aims to optimize the extrusion process parameters in the manufacture of recycled plastic filaments (Polypropylene) that have never been conducted before. The extrusion process was analysed using the Taguchi and ANOVA methods. The results of this study indicate that the spooler speed of 4 rpm, extrusion speed of 40 rpm, and extrusion temperature of 200°C in the parameter setting produce an average filament diameter of 1.6 mm. However, filaments made from Recycled Plastic (Polypropylene) have a rough and easily curved surface, so further research is needed.