KLM has announced plans to start circular 3D printing with PET filament made from plastic water bottles used on aeroplanes. This is what 3D Print Magazine writes following a presentation by the airline at RapidPro.
For circular 3D printing, KLM will collaborate with KLM Catering, its existing recycling partners and Amsterdam-based start-up Reflow. Studies and tests are already underway to set up a closed-loop system.
The plans were announced during a presentation by Arlette van der Veer at RapidPro, writes 3D Print Magazine. This lady is Innovation Manager - Aeronautical Engineer at the KLM Transformation, a division of the airline that is rolling out 3D printing tooling for aircraft maintenance. Within that framework, opportunities for recycling plastic waste from aircraft into filament are now being explored.
"We use a lot of plastic on planes that eventually becomes waste," 3D Print Magazine quotes Van der Veer's presentation. "That goes to the waste collector for recycling or incineration. Together with KLM Catering, we looked at a consistently clean waste stream and ended up with PET. You can 3D print with that." The PET waste comes from the water bottles passengers use. These are collected and separated and then turned into PET flakes.
Reflow Filament
Reflow Filament, an Amsterdam-based company, will process the PET flakes into filament for the Ultimaker 3D printers KLM's maintenance department prints with. According to Van der Veer, the material is strong enough for a large number of tools that are not subjected to loads. The engineers at Reflow Filament, which was founded a few years ago, have developed a technology that is not only cost-effective but also does not compromise the quality of the filament. Some of the filament KLM needs could be made from recycled material. The airline expects the cost of the recycled filament to be even lower than virgin material, as it uses the waste collection and processing already in place, according to 3D Print Magazine.
KLM is currently still conducting research into printing with recycled filament but it has ambitions to make even higher-quality filaments in addition to PET in the future. In its own words, it is the first airline to implement a circular vision of plastic from the plane.
Source: 3D Print Magazine.
