Swetman Makerspace 3D filament recycler
| Type | |
|---|---|
| Authors | Patrick Walsh Logan Van Den Berg Bella Fragoso Devon McDonald |
| Location | Arcata, California, United States |
| Status | Deployed |
| Years | |
| Made | Yes |
| Replicated | No |
| Uses | 3D Printing, Recycling, Education |
| Map | |
|---|---|
| Location | Arcata, United States |
| Coordinates |
Filament recycling solution with spooling system and nozzle attachment for Polyvora Extruder Pro. This project was created for the Cal Poly Humboldt Swetman Makerspace by Engineering 205 team, the EnvironMecs, during the Spring 2025 term. The main purpose of this project was to make the Swetman Makerspace more sustainable by recycling 3D printing scraps back into 3D filament. This project is intended to be used by students and faculty for a less wasteful approach to prototyping.
Background
[edit | edit source]Cal Poly Humboldt recently constructed the new Swetman Makerspace in the Fall 2024 term. The Swetman Makerspace is a place for students and faculty to use specialized equipment in order to design and build their own items.
The Spring 2025 term is the first time that this facility was open for classes, specifically ENGR 205 and ENGR 123. ENGR 205 is a class that introduces students to the engineering design process through a semester-long engineering project. ENGR 123 is a hands-on course that introduces students to 3D printing, woodworking, electronics, and power tools. Current and future engineering students will utilize the Swetman Makerspace for these courses.
3D printers are one of the most used pieces of equipment in the Swetman Makerspace and they produce plastic waste with every print. This unavoidable fact has garnered criticism from faculty and community members because it conflicts with Cal Poly Humboldt's sustainability initiatives, as well as its status as a Certified Plastics Reduction Partner.
The client and director of Swetman Makerspace, Matt Kerwin, tasked the EnvironMecs with recycling 3D filament scraps into new filament. The team spent the Spring 2025 semester working with the client to design a solution, which brought lasting improvements to the Swetman Makerspace.
Problem Statement
[edit | edit source]The objective of this project was to design a solution that could recycle 3D printing scraps into 1.75mm filament and spool it into new rolls. The client also required this project to comply with reasonable safety regulations in the Swetman Makerspace. Some issues this project solved for the Swetman Makerspace were: heavy environmental footprint, negative public perception, and high expense of filament.
Cal Poly Humboldt champions environmental sustainability and the newly constructed Swetman Makerspace must reflect these ideals. Prior to this project, 3D printing projects were producing landfill-bound plastic waste daily. Support material, failed prints, or discarded prototypes are inevitable with 3D printing. This solution took those scraps and turned them into filament for prototyping or internal prints.
Team EnvironMecs interviewed members of the community and many reported a negative view of the 3D printing practices in the Swetman Makerspace. In an effort to improve public approval, this solution addresses growing concerns over the sustainability of the facility by reducing the environmental impact made by 3D printing.
The high expense of 3D filament is a burden for the Swetman Makerspace and its students. In ENGR 123, students complete a 3D printed flashlight project which uses Makerspace-funded filament. This project alone is a notable expense. Students are limited on what they can print for other projects and must provide their own filament in order to keep costs low. The client pointed out that 3D printing is used by many students to prototype before committing to a design. This solution reduced the use of brand new filament on prototyping and saved the Swetman Makerspace money. This solution also provided underprivileged students who could not afford an entire roll of filament with the material they needed to succeed.
Criteria
[edit | edit source]The criteria listed below in Table 1 presents the standards required for the project design as decided upon by the EnvironMecs and the client. These requirements are ranked from highest priority to lowest priority. Also included in this table are constraints for each criterion.
| Criterion | Constraint | Weight (1-10) |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | Must meet fire code and cause no harm to user | 10 |
| Reliability | Must consistently produce functional product | 9 |
| Ease of Maintenance | Must be able to clean and continue use for a long time | 8 |
| Size | Must be of reasonable size and easy to store | 7 |
| Sustainability | Must be a long-term solution to 3D scrap waste | 7 |
| Ease of Use | Must be usable by engineering professors and ISAs | 6 |
| Aesthetics | Must have point-positive design element and look nice | 4 |
| Cost | All costs must fall within $200 | 1 |
Table 1. Criteria and respective constraints ranked from highest to lowest
Prototyping
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While the design process did not end up being the most influential part of this project, it is still a strong basis for understanding the extrusion process. The team started off with a brainstorming session and continued into the prototyping phase. The methods for brainstorming included: a traditional mind map, listing criteria and constraints, and drawing a design in under a minute. The team then constructed two prototypes out of cardboard.
The mind map consisted of a few key categories, which allowed the team to build off of these relevant topics. Also, there was a rule that "every idea was a good idea" so the team generated every idea they could think of at the time. This method produced more broad ideas for several aspects of the project.
Following this, the team did a brainstorm of what their criteria and constraints should look like. This was because they weren't given a lot of direction other than "it has to work". The criteria are requirements that could be assessed on a spectrum, while constraints are more definitive. This method helped the team come up with many of the final criteria and constraints for this project. Later client meetings revealed additional ideas and helped modify ones from this session.
The final process was one that was invented by a team member. Each member of the team had a minute to draw a design off the top of their head. Then, the team had five minutes to interpret the design without the artist's help. All of these original drawings are shown in Figure 1. This method allowed each member to help the team visualize what they were envisioning and get the team on the same page.
Prototyping brought these ideas to life in the form of cardboard models. The team's first prototype was a combination of ideas shown in Figure 1 and was situated on a box for storage. This included a hopper, auger, piping, nozzle, conveyor belt, and a spool holder. After a client meeting, this idea was abandoned because the client wanted a more compact design. The team came up with their second prototype, which is shown in Figure 2 and detailed a chest-style storage box with an internal extruder.
This was a promising solution up until the team decided to switch directions completely. Following a check up meeting with faculty, the team realized there was a more cost effective and achievable project considering the budget and time constraints. This is what prompted the team to revisit the idea of making modifications to the Polyvora Pro Extruder in Swetman. A particularly insightful meeting with metal expert, Colin Wingfield, led to the discovery of a second extruder available within the department. Colin had already built a smaller extruder which was almost identical to the team's original extruder design. With the help of Colin, the team developed a brass nozzle prototype, which could be screwed into the end of the large extruder in Swetman.
Final Product
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The EnvironMecs were able to come up with a new solution featuring a brass nozzle attachment and a modified spooling system for the extruder in Swetman. After reaching out to various engineering faculty and the MASA ENGR 205 team, the EnvironMecs decided on this design for their final solution. MASA was tasked with setting up the brand new Polyvora machinery in Swetman, including the extruder. Due to this, the EnvironMecs did not anticipate the Polyvora Pro Extruder to be a reliable resource for the majority of their design process. Luckily, MASA was able to get this machine running and this opened up an opportunity for the EnvironMecs to focus on modifications.
The nozzle attachment, as shown in Figure 3, screws into the blank nozzle (grey piece) that came with the extruder. This allows for it to be conveniently detached from the machine for cleaning purposes, or to be replaced. This piece has a 1.75mm opening for filament extrusion and is made of brass. Also shown in Figure 3 on the right side of the image is a replacement nozzle attachment in case the original one becomes unusable.
The spooling system, as shown in Figure 4, is a 3D printed design that the team adapted from Diplomator's design on printables.com.[1] It is motorized and powered by a wall outlet with a speed controller, On/Off switch, and detachable spooling holder. The team attatched the entire system to a piece of sturdy plywood. This ensures that the system can be easily moved and stored, while remaining secure.
The spooling system is positioned on a stool in front of the extruder so that the newly extruded filament from the nozzle can be loaded into the filament guide. After this, the system will take over and spool automatically.
Construction
[edit | edit source]The extruder nozzle attachment was created with the help of metal expert, Colin Wingfield. The user needs to have an understanding of operating metal machinery and how to measure threads in order to create this piece. This is because the nozzle must screw on perfectly to the blank nozzle of the extruder. The spooling system is a modified version of the open source design by Diplomator on printables.com.[1] The team only needed the motorized part of this design for their project and they followed the step-by-step guide to build it. This project requires the use of a 3D printer to print the majority of the parts. This project also requires soldering equipment to create the electrical components of the spooling system. Due to budgetary restrictions, the team had to 3D print some additional bearings and spacers which can also be found on printables.com.
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Video instructions
[edit | edit source]Reference the video below to see how the final solution works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZybLofv_pKo
Bill of materials
[edit | edit source]Operation
[edit | edit source]The nozzle attachment is a simple, user friendly design and the spooling system operation can be quickly learned. Below are recommended steps of operation for the filament recycling process.
Attach the nozzle to the extruder. Check that there is no plastic covering the inner thread of the machine.
Secure the spooling system to the extruder, making sure it is sturdy and plugged in.
Ensure the extruder is preheated and the hopper is sufficiently filled with plastic.
Start the extruder by turning on the auger using the control panel.
As the filament extrudes, pull it taut using pliers and connect it to the spooling system. Quickly turn on the spooling system and ensure that it is turning at the same rate as the extruder.
After the spool has been filled, quickly cut the filament stream and replace the full spool with an empty one. Repeat step 5 if necessary.
Maintenance
[edit | edit source]The maintenance cost for this system varies depending on the state of the system. The nozzle will need to be cleaned after every use to avoid buildup and critical clogging. If critical clogging occurs, there is an estimated 1 hour associated with removing the nozzle and cleaning out the extruder. If minimal clogging occurs, users must use a sewing needle to loosen up material for a few minutes. In terms of the spooling system, there is no battery to replace because the motor is powered by a wall plug. Transferring or replacing a filament spool onto the system should take no more than 5 minutes. Should any part of the spooling system break, users can easily reprint any part they need or purchase new parts. The monetary cost of this entire system is under $200, so any given part will be relatively inexpensive to replace. The maintenance cost for a system with no problems is $0 and an estimated 2 human hours.
Maintenance schedule
[edit | edit source]- Daily
- Checking to make sure the nozzle is clear before use
- Cleaning the melted plastic out after use
- Weekly
- Checking the spooling system to make sure everything is functioning adequately
- Monthly
- Thoroughly cleaning any plastic residue on the nozzle or spooling system
- Yearly
- Reprinting any broken parts of the spooling system if applicable
- Every 5 years
- Replacing any broken parts or wiring if applicable
Conclusion
[edit | edit source]Testing results
[edit | edit source]We tested the nozzle attachment by screwing it onto the extruder and experimenting with the extruder's settings. This resulted in an unsuccessful extrusion of the filament. The spooling system was tested by adjusting the speed in order to spool up regular filament properly without any destruction of the filament. There is still more testing required to see if this system is capable of producing filament with this particular extruder.
Discussion
[edit | edit source]While the team did not create recycled 3D filament, they created the groundwork for this process in the Swetman Makerspace. We created a fully functional spooling system and nozzle attachment within a $200 budget. In addition, this project satisfied the size and safety criteria for the project.
Lessons learned
[edit | edit source]Overall, the project was a failure; however, if we were to do it again we would begin testing sooner. This ultimately was the main reason we did not achieve our goal in creating recycled 3D filament.
Next steps
[edit | edit source]In the future, the nozzle could have a slightly larger opening for filament to come out. We dealt with a lot of clogging in the nozzle, even when the extruder was kept at a high temperature. This would also solve the problem of the filament being too small after being stretched to the spooling system. Another improvement could be made in operating the extruder. Since we did not have a lot of knowledge or time to experiment with the extruder, we were unable to get a decent extrusion of filament from this machine.
Troubleshooting
[edit | edit source]For complex issues, contact a team member, Colin Wingfield, or @Diplomator_209270 on printables.com.
| Problem | Suggestion |
|---|---|
| Clogged nozzle | Avoid removing the nozzle while hot and instead turn the heat up while on a low speed |
| Spooling system doesn't turn on | Check the wiring or check power supply |
| Spooling system broken part | Take part off, reprint it, then replace it |
Team
[edit | edit source]Spring Semester 2025
- Devon McDonald
- Bella Fragoso
- Logan Van Den Berg
- Patrick Walsh
References
[edit | edit source]| Authors | Patrick Walsh, Logan Van Den Berg, Bella Fragoso, Devon McDonald |
|---|---|
| License | CC-BY-SA-4.0 |
| Organizations | Cal Poly Humboldt |
| Cite as | Patrick Walsh, Logan Van Den Berg, Bella Fragoso, Devon McDonald (2025). "Swetman Makerspace 3D filament recycler". Appropedia. Retrieved June 4, 2026. |