This is an unedited manuscript accepted for publication and provided as an Article in Press for early access at the author’s request. The article will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and galley proof review before final publication. Please be aware that errors may be identified during production that could affect the content. All legal disclaimers of the journal apply.
Prafulla Bhatia,
Gajanan Thokal,
- Student, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pillai College of Engineering, New Panvel, Navi Mumbai, University of Mumbai, Mumbai, India
- Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pillai College of Engineering, New Panvel, Navi Mumbai, University of Mumbai, Mumbai, India
Abstract
Plastic waste has become one of the most significant environmental challenges due to its widespread
use, non-biodegradable nature, and increasing accumulation in landfills and water bodies. The rapid
growth in plastic consumption has created an urgent need for effective recycling technologies that can
reduce environmental pollution while recovering valuable materials. Among the various recycling
techniques, extrusion is considered an efficient and economical method for converting plastic waste
into reusable products. This study focuses on the design and development of a low-cost plastic waste
extruder for recycling thermoplastic materials into continuous extruded products. The extruder was
designed by considering the major components, including the hopper, screw conveyor, barrel, heating
system, die, and drive mechanism, to facilitate material feeding, melting, and extrusion. The fabricated
machine was experimentally evaluated using Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and Polypropylene
(PP) plastic waste. During the experiments, ABS was successfully processed at a barrel temperature of
220–240°C, while PP was extruded at 180–200°C. Under these operating conditions, both materials
melted uniformly and produced continuous rope-type filaments with stable material flow and
satisfactory surface quality. The successful extrusion of both plastics demonstrated the capability of the
developed machine to process different thermoplastic materials effectively. In addition to the
experimental work, this study reviews the operating principles of extrusion technology, different types
of plastic extruders, recyclable plastic materials, and the factors influencing extrusion performance,
including processing temperature, screw design, material properties, energy consumption, and product
quality. The findings indicate that the developed extruder is capable of converting plastic waste into
reusable products using a simple and cost-effective design suitable for small-scale recycling
applications. The proposed system offers an environmentally friendly approach to plastic waste
management by reducing plastic pollution, promoting material recovery, and supporting sustainable
manufacturing practices. Furthermore, the developed extruder has potential applications in
educational institutions, research laboratories, and community-level recycling initiatives, contributing
to the circular economy through the effective reuse of plastic waste.
Keywords: Plastic waste recycling, Extrusion technology, Circular economy, Sustainable manufacturing, Recycled plastics.
References
1. Ragaert K, Delva L, Van Geem K. Mechanical and chemical recycling of solid plastic waste. Waste
Manag. 2017;69:24-58.
2. Kumar S, Sooraj R, Vinod Kumar MV. Design and fabrication of an extrusion machine for
recycling plastics. IOP Conf Ser Mater Sci Eng. 2021;1065(1):012014.
3. Soedira DM, Lintanghati DK, Koestoer RA, Dhelika R. Development of a low-cost prototype of an
extruder for plastic waste. AIP Conf Proc. 2020;2227(1):020026.
4. Alemayehu AM, Reddy AH, Mengistu N, Woyessa LN, Vijay P. Automatic waste plastic recycle
machine integrated with extrusion hopper mechanism. Int J Innov Technol Explor Eng.
2020;9(3):1347-1356.
5. Baechler C, DeVuono M, Pearce JM. Distributed recycling of waste polymer into RepRap
feedstock. Rapid Prototyp J. 2013;19(2):118-125.
6. Ogbonnaya M, Ojolo SJ, Oyefule O, Abudu M. Design and fabrication of a waste plastic filament
extruder. Niger J Technol. 2024;43(3):602-609.
7. Shiri ND, Kajava PV, Ranjan HV, Pais NL, Naik VM. Processing of waste plastics into building
materials using a plastic extruder and compression testing of plastic bricks. J Mech Eng Autom.
2015;5(3B):39-42.
8. García-León RA, Bohorquez-Niño A, Barbosa-Paredes JF. Design of an extrusion machine for the
manufacture of plastic tubes. J Phys Conf Ser. 2019;1257(1):012006.
9. Aris MA, Mat S, Sam MS, Ramli FR, Alkahari MR, Kudus SI. Design and development of 3D printer
filament extruder. In: Proceedings of Mechanical Engineering Research Day 2020. 2020. p. 293-
294.
10. Pranoto H, Arifin Z, Carles H. Innovation design and development of PET plastic waste processing
machines by extruder method. Int J Adv Technol Mech Mechatron Mater. 2020;1(3):90-99.
11. Okusanya MA, Ibrahim GW. Design and development of a plastic crusher for a more efficient
waste management practice. Int J Innov Res Dev. 2020;9(8):297-313.
12. Reddy S, Raju T. Design and development of mini plastic shredder machine. IOP Conf Ser Mater
Sci Eng. 2018;455(1):012119.
13. Sonjaya ML, Mutmainnah M, Hidayat MF. Construction of a plastic waste extruding machine to
produce filaments of 3D printing machine. J Phys Conf Ser. 2022;2243:012042.
doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2243/1/012042.
14. Ugoamadi CC, Ihesiulor OK. Optimization of the development of a plastic recycling machine.
Niger J Technol. 2011;30(3):67-81.
19
15. Woern AL, McCaslin JR, Pringle AM, Pearce JM. RepRapable Recyclebot: open source 3-D
printable extruder for converting plastic to 3-D printing filament. HardwareX. 2018;4.
| Volume | 04 | |
| 02 | ||
| Received | 20/06/2026 | |
| Accepted | 04/08/2026 | |
| Published | 19/08/2026 | |
| Publication Time | 60 Days |