ALT Indiegogo
ALT’s recycled 3D printing filament is produced in-house and made from a class of polymers called Polyolefins.
Californian additive manufacturing company, ALT LLC has announced it will launch an Indiegogo Campaign to recycle plastic waste for high performance 3D printing filament.
The crowdfunding operation will be set up before the end of the year.
ALT LLC, based in Santa Barbara runs an online 3D printing service, providing design, fabrication and consultation services. During the deliverance of their services, and thus using roll after roll of plastic filament, ALT LLC realised, although AM offers many environmental benefits over traditional manufacturing methods, it was still introducing virgin plastic into the waste stream.
Since, the company has been working to find a solution by offering recycled and recyclable products to the 3D printing community.
ALT’s recycled 3D printing filament is produced in-house and made from a class of polymers called Polyolefins. This includes common plastics such as Polypropylene, Low-Density Polyethylene and High-Density Polyethylene used to make plastic bags, milk jugs, bottle caps and other short-lived products that are generally discarded within a year of manufacture.
ALT Indiegogo plastic campaign
Polyolefins (PP, LDPE, HDPE) account for 48.5% of plastics used in the world today
Polyolefins have properties suitable for an array of applications, making them perfect for 3D printing. Both high and low-density polyethylene are popular due to their flexibility, toughness, ability to withstand high temperatures and their impact, moisture and chemical resistance. Similarly, polypropylene is widely desired, but has a higher thermal resistance enabling it to withstand the heat of an autoclave. All in, Polyolefins account for around half of the plastic being used on the planet today.
As per the Worldwatch Institute, only 9% of post-consumer plastic (2.8 million tonnes) was recycled in 2012. The remaining 32 million tonnes was discarded. California lawmakers have set a new target for the state to recycle 75% of waste by 2020. ALT is committed to helping reduce waste and also to revolutionise manufacturing in the Golden State.
The goal is to reduce the amount of plastic waste that ends up in landfills, waterways and ultimately, our oceans by sourcing the plastic waste used to make their filament from local California waste collection facilities. ALT hopes their initiative can inspire other local engineering firms to adopt green practices.
While several companies use plastic water bottles to make PET 3D printing filament, ALT wants to tackle the plastic that makes up the largest amount of waste and that rarely gets recycled. ALT hope they can generate enough support to produce their high performance recycled 3D printing filaments and bring them to the market at an affordable price, reducing waste and making a positive impact on the environment.
