Recycling The Great Pacific Garbage Patch with ReDeTec’s ProtoCycler+

 

Summary

Pacific Plastic Salvage collects plastic waste from the Pacific Ocean and recycles it into 3D printed products. ReDeTec’s ProtoCycler+ is one of the devices being used to carry out their mission.

 

About Pacific Plastic Salvage

PPS is composed of engineers, chemists, and biologists located in Los Angeles, California. Their goal is to remove the 80,000 tons of oceanic plastic waste, referred to as the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’, using 3D printed and solar powered autonomous boats.

 

Figure 1 - Image of an art piece created with plastic from the Pacific Ocean.

 

The Challenge

PPS is determined to clear up the plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean in a sustainable way. This principle applies to the plastic once it's brought back to shore, and to the ships that are collecting it.

Their ships are solar powered, autonomous, and their parts are made by 3D printers that use filament made from recycled plastics. The plastic they collect from the ocean is turned into items such as vases and phone cases with additional use of 3D printers.

Once the difficult task of collecting the plastic is complete, they face a challenge on how to turn the plastic into useful building materials. 

That’s where ReDeTec comes in. 

 

The Solution

ReDeTec’s ProtoCycler+ is an all-in-one solution for turning plastic waste into 3D printer filament, without sacrificing the quality or integrity of the materials. The device comes with an industry exclusive built-in grinder to shred plastics into granules, that can then be fed into the filament extrusion system. It is perfect for the challenge faced by PPS.

 

Figure 2 - ProtoCycler+ by ReDeTec

 

Results

PPS were able to source plastic recycled filament made by a ProtoCycler+ from a local Makerspace. The filament worked wonderfully for creating new products with their 3D printers. PPS sells these products on their website to help fund their venture, and to build more plastic collection ships.

Figure 3 - Products created from plastic waste from the Pacific Ocean

“We’re only able to do this thanks to companies like yours! We appreciate all that you’ve done to advance this field and can’t wait to see what you’ve got planned next!”

- Team Member, Pacific Plastic Salvage

 

About ReDeTec

ReDeTec is an advanced plastics manufacturing company, and an industry leader in the 3D Printer Filament Extrusion and Recycling Space.

Our flagship product, ProtoCycler+, allows users to make their own filament for 3D printing, recycle 3D printing waste, and experiment with the making of novel plastic filaments.

We take pride in the fact that our clients rely on us for the best extrusion technology on the market, lowering their ecological footprint, and providing the most comprehensive software for making new plastics.