SMART DEVICE FOR PET RECYCLING

Abstract

PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is a common plastic substance used to make water bottles, carbonated drinks, juices and others. PET is durable and easy to transport, but can be difficult to degrade in nature. If not recycled, PET can remain in the environment for hundreds of years, polluting the sea and other environmental areas. The work presents the creation of an smart device, which can easily, with low costs, be transformed in laboratory conditions, respecting the steps of the industrial technological process, of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into recycled PET. The final goal is to research the mechanical characteristics of recycled PET. The method used is Computer Assisted Thermoplastic Extrusion, the main parameters of the entire technological process being permanently monitored. The results of mechanical and thermal tests were demonstrated that recycled PET can be transformed into filament for 3D printing of finished products that have properties similar to those obtained industrially.