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The accumulation of plastic waste, particularly polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, poses significant environmental concerns. This study investigates a mechanical recycling process that converts post-consumer PET bottles into recycled PET (rPET) filament for use in 3D printing applications. The process includes systematic cleaning, shredding, and extrusion of PET waste to form rPET filament, which was subsequently evaluated for moisture uptake, thermal degradation, chemical changes, and mechanical performance. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy revealed increasing carbonyl index values, indicating progressive polymer degradation through each recycling stage. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) demonstrated that rPET retained acceptable thermal stability, though slightly higher residue due to degradation byproducts. Mechanical testing showed significant reduction in tensile strength and elongation for 3D printed rPET compared to raw filament, attributed to interlayer weaknesses and polymer chain scission. Despite these limitations, the study confirms the feasibility of rPET as a viable feedstock for fused deposition modeling (FDM) with optimized printing parameters. This research highlights the potential of rPET in reducing plastic waste and fostering sustainable material practices in additive manufacturing.

Keywords: 3D printing filament, mechanical recycling, polymer crushing, waste PET bottles