Volume 10 Issue 1 ( March 2023 )

Thermoplastic plastic waste, which comprises a significant portion of all plastic waste, has the potential to be repurposed through 3D printing techniques. Among the various types of plastic contributing to the plastic waste issue, Polypropylene (PP) plastic, commonly found in food packaging, is a major contributor. While recycling PP plastic poses certain challenges, it also presents a promising avenue for addressing the plastic waste problem. This study aims to evaluate the mechanical properties of 3D printed specimens fabricated from recycled Polypropylene (rPP) filament derived from post-consumer instant noodle packaging waste. The process involved shredding and extruding the packaging material into rPP filament, which was subsequently utilized to print dogbone samples in an FDM 3D printer at nozzle temperatures of 180°C, 190°C, 200°C, 210°C, and 220°C. In addition to others fabricated from commercial Polypropylene (PP) and Polylactic Acid (PLA) filaments, these samples were subjected to tensile testing to determine their ultimate tensile strength and Young's modulus. The results indicate that rPP filament printed at 210°C exhibited the highest average values for ultimate tensile strength and Young's modulus at 20.73 MPa and 806.35 MPa, respectively. These values were comparable to those of the commercial PP filament, though lower than those of the commercial PLA filament, which were nearly twice as high as the PP values. However, an increase in extrusion temperature was accompanied by an increase in the deviation of the testing results, suggesting that higher temperatures may result in an increased amorphous fraction in the rPP.

Keywords: tensile strength; recycled polypropylene filament; polylactic acid filament; dogbone sample; 3D printing