All plastics can be recycled Let’s take for instance the two most-commonly used filaments in the 3D printing industry :
PLA & ABS.
PLA Polylactic Acid commonly known as PLA, is one of the most used materials in desktop 3D printing .Created from the processing of various plant products, including corn, potatoes or sugar beets, PLA plastic is considered an ‘ecological’ plastic and is mainly used in packaging for food and containers.
- Derived from vegetable products.
- Naturally transparent and can be colored with various degrees of translucency and opacity.
ABS is one of the biggest materials used to make plastic filament for 3D printing . It is a particularly robust and impact-resistant plastic that allows you to print durable and resistant parts for wear and tear.
- ABS (abbreviation of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) is a thermoplastic derived from petroleum.
- Parts printed with ABS have a glossier finish than PLA parts.
- ABS has a lower coefficient of friction than other materials and requires less force during extrusion.
- It resists impacts.
- It resists heat.
PETG is a 100% recyclable thermoplastic product. It has a low shrinkage coefficient, is transparent, it does not absorb water and has excellent impact resistance. It also satisfies the requirements of DIN 52290 which concerns the production of protective glass, it is suitable for thermoforming and for screen printing it is suitable for contact with food.
