Extrusion Machine based on Plastic Bottles

Introduction

This project starts on this semester, and the machine was a really big challenge for us, because this was totally a new project in the school and in other places this machines doesn't have a complete automation.

3D Printer Filaments

Us project is an Extrusion Plastic Machine based on Plastic Bottles, and with this machine we'll create a plastic filament for 3D Printers with recycled materials.
This filament will have 2 sizes, 1.75mm and 3mm, this sizes depends of the specifications of the 3D Printers.

The principal objective to this machine is to help the enviroment recycling plastic and turn into a filament and the plastic will have a new live. And the other objective of this machine is to sell a very cheap filament but with a good quality.

Features of the Machine

The beginning of the project and the most difficult challenge was to create an efficient and durable machine with the correct selection of the material, because the machine needs a very resistant material to do big efforts without any problem.

The principal material for the machine was carbon steel, because this is a very resistent material and it's perfect for the machine. Other parts of the machine will be manufactured with Aluminium, Cold Rolled Steel and a special steel for high temperatures (270 °C).

The machine will have 3 electronic control to do 3 different actions:

• Trituration of the plastic
• Melting the plastic
• Extrusion the plastic.

For this, we need push bottons, motors, a heater, and other electronic things.

The machine will works with 120V and any person can operate this machine on his house.
The programme of the machine also was a important thing, because this part of the machine will decide the ease to operate them. The machine will be controled with a microprocessor.

Conclusions

On the next semester, we'll start manufacturing all the parts of the machine and we'll assemble the electric system.
All the team are really excited because this is a difficult but cool project for us and we want to see the machine assembled and working.

Case of the Machine