Viability Analysis of Reusing Polymers in Additive Manufacturing

Manuel A. R. V. Esteves; Raul D. S. G. Campilho; Hamza Belkhanchi; Jai I. P. Singh

doi:10.53941/jmem.2026.100032

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) has grown into a widely accessible technology. This shift has been driven largely by advances in low-cost, user-friendly equipment, particularly in fused deposition modelling (FDM) systems. However, material use remains a major cost and sustainability challenge in FDM printing. Polylactic acid (PLA) is the most common and affordable filament, although routine operations such as purging when changing filament color, printing support structures, and discarding failed prints generate significant waste. These drawbacks motivate efforts to recycle waste PLA into new filament, reducing environmental impact and material expense. This study investigates the mechanical performance of recycled PLA, aiming to understand optimal processing parameters. Test specimens were printed for tensile, flexural, and Charpy impact testing. One set of specimens printed from virgin PLA served as the control, while three recycled-PLA sets were printed at different nozzle temperatures: 220 °C (virgin PLA baseline), 237 °C, and 255 °C. All other printing parameters remained constant. Charpy tests, carried out in a manual pendulum system, were also replicated at low temperatures (−30.9 °C). It was concluded that, while recycled PLA demonstrated higher strength and stiffness compared to virgin PLA in both tensile and flexural tests, it showed a substantially lower strain at break. The absorbed energy measurements showed significant reductions for recycled PLA at room temperature over virgin PLA, and major reductions with the testing temperature. Overall, recycled PLA shows promise for specific applications requiring stiffness, but further optimization is needed to improve toughness and ensure consistent manufacturing reliability.

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