Analysing the performance of recycled plastics on multilayered 3D printed designs for packaging applications
Basit, Abdul (2026)
Diplomityö
2026
School of Energy Systems, Konetekniikka
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2026060361896
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2026060361896
Tiivistelmä
The increasing need for recycling and sustainable materials has created a strong interest in using recycled plastics for packaging applications. This study investigates the performance of monolayer and multilayer 3D-printed packaging. It focuses on comparing Virgin PETG with recycled PETG variants from two different suppliers.
This study evaluates whether multilayer additive manufacturing of recycled PETG can produce mechanical properties comparable to those of virgin PETG for packaging applications. Tensile, flexural, and impact tests conducted on specimens of each material revealed that a trade-off exists between structural stiffness and dynamic toughness. Although virgin PETG establishes a strong baseline in tensile and flexural strength, the rPETG in some specimens outperformed virgin variants.
Ultimately, the study perfectly shows that 3D printing using multilayer inputs is a powerful strategy to bridge the performance gap between virgin and recycled plastics. This offers a viable pathway for high-performance packaging within a circular economy. The findings position a multilayered structure of Virgin-rPETG pairing to provide the peak tensile and flexural strengths. Moreover, results showed that rPETG in a multilayer structure can improve toughness and the tolerance to deformation. This ultimately results in a packaging which balances structural rigidity with impact resilience.
This study evaluates whether multilayer additive manufacturing of recycled PETG can produce mechanical properties comparable to those of virgin PETG for packaging applications. Tensile, flexural, and impact tests conducted on specimens of each material revealed that a trade-off exists between structural stiffness and dynamic toughness. Although virgin PETG establishes a strong baseline in tensile and flexural strength, the rPETG in some specimens outperformed virgin variants.
Ultimately, the study perfectly shows that 3D printing using multilayer inputs is a powerful strategy to bridge the performance gap between virgin and recycled plastics. This offers a viable pathway for high-performance packaging within a circular economy. The findings position a multilayered structure of Virgin-rPETG pairing to provide the peak tensile and flexural strengths. Moreover, results showed that rPETG in a multilayer structure can improve toughness and the tolerance to deformation. This ultimately results in a packaging which balances structural rigidity with impact resilience.