Waste to wonder to explore possibilities with recycled materials in 3D printing.

In a world grappling with environmental challenges and the need for sustainable manufacturing practices, the convergence of 3D printing and recycling emerges as a promising solution. This research paper explores the potential of combining these two technologies and comprehensively analyses their synergistic effects. The study delves into the printability of recycled materials, evaluating their suitability for 3D printing and comparing their performance with conventional materials. The environmental impact of 3D printing with recycled materials is examined through a sustainability analysis and a life cycle assessment of recycled 3D printed objects. The findings reveal significant benefits, including enhanced resource efficiency, waste reduction, and customisation possibilities. The research also identifies challenges and opportunities for scaling up the use of recycled materials in 3D printing, highlighting the importance of collaboration, innovation, and regulations. With potential applications spanning various industries, from prototyping to construction and healthcare, the implications of this research are far-reaching. By embracing sustainable practices, industry collaboration, and innovation, the integration of 3D printing and recycling can pave the way for a more sustainable future, where resource conservation, circularity, and customised production are at the forefront of manufacturing.

Net zero on 3D printing filament recycling: A sustainable analysis.

As global concerns about climate change and resource scarcity grow, the need for sustainable practices in manufacturing is becoming increasingly important. 3D printing, a rapidly developing technology, has the potential to mitigate environmental impacts by reducing material waste and enabling decentralised production. This article investigates the sustainability of 3D printing filament recycling, focusing on achieving net-zero emissions. We analyse the environmental impact, energy consumption, and potential for reducing waste in filament recycling and provide recommendations for improving sustainability. Recycling these filaments has been identified as a potential solution to reduce the amount of plastic waste generated. This paper explores the concept of achieving net zero on 3D printing filament recycling, focusing on the sustainable analysis of the process. A literature review was conducted to understand the current state of 3D printing filament recycling and the challenges of achieving net zero. The review was supplemented with interviews with industry experts to gain a more in-depth understanding of the challenges and potential solutions. The results show that achieving net zero on 3D printing filament recycling is possible. However, it requires a holistic approach that considers the entire lifecycle of the filament. The paper discusses the implications of achieving net zero on 3D printing filament recycling for sustainability and the circular economy.

Impact of rGO-coated PEEK and lattice on bone implant.

The composite coating can effectively inhibit bacterial proliferation and promote the expression of bone-building genes in-vitro. Therefore, a novel production was used to produce poly-ether-ether-ketone, and reduced graphene oxide (PEEK-rGO) scaffolds with ratios of 1-3%, combining a different lattice for a bone implant. An inexpensive method was developed to prepare the new coatings on the PEEK scaffold with reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Mechanical testing, data analysis and cell culture tests for in-vitro biocompatibility scaffold characterisation for the PEEK composite were conducted. Novel computation microanalysis of four-dimensional (4D) printing of microstructure of PEEK-rGO concerning the grain size and three dimensional (3D) morphology was influenced by furrow segmentation of grains cell growth on the composite, which was reduced from an average of 216-155 grains and increased to 253 grains on the last day. The proposed spherical nanoparticles cell grew with time after dispersed PEEK nanoparticles in calcium hydroxyapatite (cHAp) grains. Also, the mechanical tests were carried out to validate the strength of the new composites and compare them to that of a natural bone. The established 3D-printed PEEK composite scaffolds significantly exhibited the potential of bone implants for biomimetic heterogeneous bone repair.

Data on microhardness and structural analysis of friction stir spot welded lap joints of AA5083-H116.

Friction stir spot welding (FSSW) was established to compete reasonably with the reverting, bolting, adhesive bonding as well as resistance spot welding (RSW) which have been used in the past for lap joining in automobile, aerospace, marine, railways, defence and shipbuilding industries. The use of these ancient and conventional joining techniques had led to increasing material cost, installation labour, and additional weight in the aircraft, shipbuilding, and other areas of applications. All these are disadvantages that can be overcome using FSSW. This research work carried out friction stir spot welding on 5058-H116 aluminium alloy by employing rotational speed in the step of 300 rpm ranges from 600 rpm to 1200 rpm with a no travel speed. It was noted that the dwell times were in the step of 5 s varying from 5 s to 15 s while the tool plunge rate was maintained at 30 mm/min. In this dataset, a cylindrical tapered rotating H13 Hot-working steel tool was used with a probe length of 5 mm and probe diameter of 6 mm, it has a shoulder diameter of 18 mm. The tool penetration depth (plunge) was maintained at 0.2 mm and the tool tilt angle at 2°. Structural integrity was carried out using Rigaku ultima IV multifunctional X-ray diffractometer (XRD) with a scan voltage of 40 kV and scan current of 30 mA. This was used to determine crystallite sizes, peak intensity, d-spacing, full width at half maximum intensity (FWHM) of the diffraction peak. TH713 digital microhardness equipment with diamond indenter was used for microhardness data acquisition following ASTM E92-82 standard test. The average Vickers hardness data values at different zones of the spot-welds were captured and presented.

Dataset showing thermal conductivity of South-Eastern Nigerian kaolinite clay admixtures with sawdust and iron filings for fired-bricks production.

In this dataset, the influence of admixture of sawdust and iron filings on the kaolinite clay was experimented. This was done by blending various samples of kaolinite clay with varying percentages of sawdust and iron filings. Thermal analysis of the clay samples was carried out at different ratios of sawdust and iron filings blended with the clay samples. The blended ratio of sawdust and iron fillings ranges from 0%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%-40%. These samples were fired in a local kiln that achieved temperature of 900 °C - 1200 °C to burn-off the sawdust consequently creating pores/cavities where the sawdust had been burnt and to fuse the iron particles with the clay material. The experimental data on the thermal characteristics and refractory properties of the clay sample were then acquired. The data were acquired, processed and presented. Thermocouple and thermometer were used to acquire the temperature during the firing of the bricks. Finally, thermal conductivities and bulk densities of the samples were computed following an established standard.

Experimental data on surface roughness and force feedback analysis in friction stir processed AA7075 - T651 aluminium metal composites.

Friction Stir Processing (FSP) is a surface modification technique used to enhance the mechanical properties and improve the surface integrity of the processed material. In the present data collection, aluminium alloy 7075-T651 was studied under different reinforcement conditions. Microchannel of dimension 3.5 mm depth and 2.0 mm width were machined on the aluminium plates to accommodate the particles. The process was conducted at different rotational speed of 1200 rpm, 1500 rpm and 1800 rpm with constant processing speed of 20 mm/min, plunge depth of 0.3 mm and tilt angles of 3°. Double passes were achieved for each parameter with 100% inter-pass overlap. A cylindrical tapped, AISI H13 steel tool with shoulder diameter 18 mm, pin length of 5.0 mm, pin diameter 5 mm at the top and 6 mm at the end with 10° taper was used during friction stir process. Surface integrity analysis was carried out with the aid of mitutoyo surftest SJ-210 surface roughness tester (SRT). The analysis was carried out at three different points on a parameter for a particular workpiece and the average reading for each parameter is calculated in order to ensure precision of the measurements and the coverage surface area. The following surface roughness parameters were measured and recorded, arithmetical mean roughness value (Ra), maximum height (Ry), mean roughness depth (Rz) and root mean square roughness (Rq). Force feedback from the machine data for selected reinforcement particles with respected to processing times and x-positions are also presented.

Data showing the effects of vibratory disc milling time on the microstructural characteristics of Coconut Shell Nanoparticles (CS-NPs).

Coconut Shell (CS) as agricultural lignocellulosic biomaterial and agro-waste is predominantly available in India, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. It has proven to have effective durability characteristic, good abstractive resistance, high toughness, and good adsorption properties, and is most suitable for long standing use in many applications such as reinforcement, source of energy, fillers as well as activated carbon and its performance, efficiency and effectiveness depend wholly on whether is in form of nano-, micro-, and macro- particles. In this data, effects of milling time on morphological characteristics was experimented using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyses. The SEM images were taken at magnifications of 1.00kx, 2.00kx and 5.00kx which gives respective 50 µm, 20 µm and 10 µm in different milling time of 0, 20, 40 and 60 mins. Digital Vibratory Disc Milling Machine (VDMM) rated 380 V/50 Hz at 940 rpm was employed for the grinding and the morphology of the milled nanoparticles were characterised. It was revealed from the data collected that 0 min (i.e. 75 µm sieved) has the highest mean area value of 16.105 µm2 and area standard deviation of 200.738 µm2 with least value of a number of particle size distribution of 809 µm. In contrast, 60 mins milled has the lowest values for mean area and area standard deviation of 8.945 µm2 and 115.851 µm2 respectively with the highest number of particle size distribution of 2032 µm. It was observed that milling time increases the number of particle sizes distributions and reduces the area of particle size.

Data showing the effects of temperature and time variances on nano-additives treatment of mild steel during machining.

The effects of temperature and time variances on nano-additives treatment of mild steel during machining was presented in this study. Mild steel of 150 kg mass containing 0.56% carbon was charged into the furnace at melting and pouring temperature of 1539 and 1545 °C respectively. Also charged into the furnace with the mild steel were 0.05% max phosphorous and a bit of sulphur. Thereafter, the sample was cooled and annealed at a temperature of 900 °C for 9 h and then cooled to 300 °C of hardening, normalizing and tempering respectively. The treated samples were then soaked with pulverized in palm kernel shell and barium carbonate (20%) energizer at respective temperatures (800, 850, 900 and 950 °C) and time variances (60, 90 and 120 min) in a muffle furnace. The developed tool was tested on a lathe machine to evaluate its performance. The surface and core hardness, wear resistance and toughness were carried out using the hardness tester, Rotopol-V and impact tester respectively. This is essential for predicting the useful life of the tool in service.