Project · draft
PET-Bottle Strip Filament Pultruder
- advanced
- 20-25 hours
SDG 12 · Responsible Consumption and Production
Turns used PET bottles into 3D-printing filament, a hands-on lesson in reuse and closing material loops in the lab.
Safety notes
- Heat: the nozzle runs at around 200-230 C; use a guard, a silicone sock and a stand, and never leave it heated unattended.
- Firmware must cut the heater on thermistor faults or runaway; add an inline thermal fuse as a last resort.
- Blades: the strip cutter uses a fixed utility blade; shroud it, keep fingers behind the bottle, and wear cut-resistant gloves.
- Fumes: ventilate or use extraction; do not overheat or burn PET.
- Use only a certified external adapter; do not open, build or modify mains supplies.
Draft and unofficial, not affiliated with Fab Academy or the United Nations. Check prices, GST and parts before you buy.
Summary
Cut a clean bottle into a long strip, feed it through a hot nozzle, and a slow stepper pulls out roughly 1.75 mm filament onto a printed spool. Characterise diameter consistency and print test pieces; PET usually needs higher print temperatures than PLA.
What it teaches
Build a bottle strip cutter, then a pultruder: a hotend with a widened nozzle shapes the strip into round filament while a stepper winds it onto a spool. Implement PID temperature control with thermal-runaway protection and match pull speed to temperature.
Topics it touches, in Fab Academy-style terms:
- Mechanical design
- Machine design
- Output devices
- Input devices
- Embedded programming
- 3D scanning and printing
Parts list
Parts cost
Some parts are not priced yet, so there's no total.
9 required parts are marked not priced yet below, and 1 optional. Where a price is known it is shown per part, GST-inclusive as the seller listed it on 24 Oct 2026, with the GST rate unverified. Shipping is not included.
| Part | Qty | Unit | Price, GST-incl. as listed | Line cost | GST | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seeed Studio XIAO RP2040 Development Boardxiao-rp2040 | 1 | pcs | ₹513 | ₹513 | GST unverified, typically 18% | Robocrazeread 24 Oct 2026 |
| 12 V 3D printer hotend kit (heater cartridge, thermistor, heat block, nozzle)hotend-12v-kit | 1 | set | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| Logic-level MOSFET switch module for 12 V heatersmosfet-heater-module | 1 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| Inline thermal cut-off fuse (rated above working temperature of the electronics bay)thermal-fuse-inline | 1 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| Nema 17 bipolar stepper motornema17-stepper | 1 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| Bipolar stepper motor driverstepper-driver-bipolarSet current limit | 1 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| 12 V 5 A DC power adapter (certified, barrel jack)psu-12v-5a-adapter | 1 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| MP1584EN Mini LM2596 ultra-small DC-DC step-downbuck-mp158412 V to 5 V for the XIAO; set before connecting | 1 | pcs | ₹50 | ₹50 | GST unverified, typically 18% | Robocrazeread 24 Oct 2026 |
| 608ZZ ball bearing, 8x22x7 mmbearing-608zzCutter guide and spool | 4 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| Snap-off utility blades, 18 mm (pack)blade-snap-off-18mm | 1 | set | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| M3 x 10 mm socket head screw, stainlessscrew-m3x10-socket | 20 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| 0.96 Inch OLED Display Module SPI/I2C 4pin Blue Coloroled-096-i2cTemperature and speed | 1 | pcs | ₹167 | ₹167 | GST unverified, typically 18% | Robocrazeread 24 Oct 2026 |
| 4-Pins DIP Momentary Square Tactile Push Button Switch 10 Pieces - 6x6x5mmbutton-tactile-6x6-x10Pack: pack of 10 | 1 | set | ₹16 | ₹16 | GST unverified, typically 18% | Robocrazeread 24 Oct 2026 |
| Part | Qty | Unit | Price, GST-incl. as listed | Line cost | GST | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dial caliper (mm/inch)caliper-dialCheck filament diameter | 1 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| Premium 1.75MM HS PLA 1 KG 3d Printer Filament - Cement grey Colourfilament-pla-1kgCutter, frame parts and spool | 1 | pcs | ₹741 | ₹741 | GST unverified, typically 18% | Robocrazeread 24 Oct 2026 |
The Part column links to the shared catalogue. Units are pcs, m, g, sheet or set, and a "set" is the seller's pack, as noted per part.
Tools you will need
- 3D printer
- Soldering iron
- Multimeter
- Calipers
Build notes
Step-by-step build notes have not been written yet for this draft. The summary, the topics above and the parts list are what exists so far.
How to buy
There is no online checkout. To buy or import these parts, email info@curiosta.com and say what you need. The button opens your own email app with a draft; nothing is sent until you send it.
Prices on this site are third-party seller listings, not a Curiosta quote. Ask by email for availability, price and GST.