Our Technology

The BottlePrint Process

The core of our innovation is a machine that transforms PET plastic bottles into 3D printing filament through a multi-stage process. Here's how it works:

1. Bottle Preparation

   Collected plastic bottles are cleaned, labels and caps are removed, and bottles are sorted by type and color to ensure consistency in the final filament.

2. Ribbon Cutting

   Our machine cuts the bottles into continuous spiral ribbons. This approach preserves more of the plastic's molecular structure compared to completely breaking it down, potentially resulting in stronger filament.

3. Extrusion System

   The plastic ribbons are fed into an extruder where they're heated to a precise temperature and pushed through a calibrated nozzle. We're experimenting with different temperature profiles and nozzle designs to optimize the consistency of the filament.

4. Cooling and Diameter Control

   After extrusion, the filament is rapidly cooled to solidify its shape.

5. Spooling

   The cooled filament is wound onto recycled or biodegradable spools, ready for use in 3D printers.

Current Challenges

As we develop our prototype, we're working through several technical challenges:

• Achieving consistent diameter throughout the length of the filament
• Optimizing the temperature profile for different types of PET bottles
• Designing an effective cooling system that prevents warping
• Creating a reliable spooling mechanism that maintains tension
• Building a user-friendly control system for the machine

Open Source Approach

We believe in the power of collaboration and knowledge sharing. That's why we're developing our technology as an open-source project. By making our designs, code, and findings freely available, we aim to:

• Accelerate development through community contributions
• Enable others to build and improve upon our work
• Create a global network of bottle-to-filament recycling hubs
• Promote education and awareness about plastic recycling