One of the most common waste products on the battlefield is PET plastic bottles and bags. The United States and coalition forces will produce a lot of this waste. Recently, the cooperation research between the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the U.S. Marine Corps showed that , Used plastic bottles may be of great use to the military.
The U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the U.S. Marine Corps collaborated on the use of discarded plastics (such as water bottles, milk jugs, and yogurt bottles) to prepare 3D printed parts that soldiers may need on the battlefield. The picture shows Dr. Nicole Zander of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. Demonstrate the preparation process for Captain Anthony Molnary of the US Marine Corps (Source: US Army / Jhi Scott)
Researcher Nicole Zander of the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and Captain Anthony Molnar of the US Marine Corps are leading the study. So far, Researchers have been able to make 3D printed filaments from 100% of waste plastics recovered from plastic bottles or plastic containers without any chemical modification or additives.
Zander said that although PET plastics are widely used in many applications, they cannot be widely used as raw materials for the production of melted fibers (FFF) because of their high melting temperature, water absorption and crystallinity problems, because this makes the preparation process difficult. 'In terms of mechanical properties, the overall strength of most of the polymers used in the manufacture of melted filaments is between 30 and 100 MPa, whereas the average strength of recycled PET is 70 MPa, so recycled PET may be a suitable 3D printing material, Zander explained.
The researchers conducted a uniaxial tensile test and a three-point bending test on 3D printed filaments made from recycled PET plastic in the laboratory. Through these experiments, we found that these PET3D printed filaments and the filaments that have been commercialized The same strength. In addition, the researchers also produced a custom test setup to test a 3D printed radio stand made from recycled PET (a long-term military project). At the same load, with recycled PET Radio brackets made of plastic perform quite similarly to those made of commercial ABS filaments. Therefore, 3D printed filaments made from recycled PET are expected to replace commercial filaments when preparing various plastic parts.
Steve Post, business development manager for Thermo Fisher Corp., the Army's equipment manufacturer for filaments, said that this is a strong statement on sustainable development. He said: 'The military did consider this issue on this application because It turned a troublesome waste into a precious resource.
In addition to mechanical testing, the researchers also conducted chemical analysis, heat stability testing, and many other tests on recycled plastics. 'Even for the same polymer type, recycled polymers can have a variety of different additives, fillers, and dyes. , and may have experienced different processing conditions,' Zander said.
In order to better understand the different renewable plastic raw materials and the best performance of these materials, the researchers also conducted a chemical analysis, thermal analysis and mechanical performance analysis.
The researchers stated that the starting point of this work is to improve combat capabilities and readiness of combat personnel by enabling the military to perform maintenance during deployment and reduce dependence on logistical supply chains. Currently, Zander and Molnar are constructing a mobile recycling system. Facilities so that soldiers can convert waste plastic into 3D printing materials.