International waste-to-product company, Renewi is working with Dutch recycling filament specialist, Refil to produce high quality and unique 3d printing filament made from recycled refrigerators.
The innovative product is made in the Netherlands by Renewi’s subsidiary, Coolrec. It is made in two sizes from High Impact PolyStyrene Plastic (HIPS). HIPS is neutral in colour and easy to paint or glue, making it a perfect sustainable material for 3d scale model printing.
The filament has been optimised for 3d printing to a high standard, eliminating shrinkage and warping during the printing process. Once the print is finished, it can easily be removed by a natural acid. Even the delivery of the filament is sustainable, as it comes in recyclable cardboard, leaving no waste behind.
Refil and Coolrec are working on further developments for the filament market, including black filament. This product will be made using recycled plastic from old televisions and is expected to be available early next year.
“Making recycled filament may seem easy, but getting a steady supply chain and maintaining a high quality over different batches is a real challenge. This is why it took us three years of development to be able to guarantee the quality. Together with Coolrec we’re delighted that we’ve managed to realise this.”
Arjen Wittekoek, Director of Coolrec said:“This collaboration is a good example of two companies at the forefront of plastic recycling working together in their own field of expertise. Discarded appliances are made from and still contain many valuable materials. Using innovative techniques, we are able to recover the plastics and reuse it in the manufacturing of new products, such as 3d filament.
“Developing HIPS and the collaboration with Refil is another way to protect the world against pollution, preserve finite resources and enable our partners to achieve their sustainability targets. We are therefore very proud to be involved in this circular collaboration.”
Casper van der Meer, CEO of Refil said:“Whereas Coolrec is all about the recycling of electrical and electronic equipment, Refil transforms the acquired plastics into 3d printing filament and makes it available around the world.
“Making recycled filament may seem easy, but getting a steady supply chain and maintaining a high quality over different batches is a real challenge. This is why it took us three years of development to be able to guarantee the quality. Together with Coolrec we’re delighted that we’ve managed to realise this.”