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The potential of converting plastic waste to 3D printed products in Sub-Saharan Africa
Summary
Researchers examined the potential of converting plastic waste into 3D printing filaments across sub-Saharan Africa, finding strong community interest but significant technical barriers including inconsistent filament diameter, degraded mechanical properties, and harmful emissions during extrusion, alongside a critical need for local capacity building.
Additive manufacturing (3D printing) can transform low-income societies with underdeveloped infrastructure and inadequate manufacturing capabilities. However, uptake in sub-Saharan Africa is still very low. This study adopted a transdisciplinary approach which included critical synthesis of the extant literature, laboratory experiment and a cross sectional engagement with stakeholders, to examine the potential of converting plastic waste to 3D printed products in sub-Saharan Africa. The study showed that while several extruders have been developed in the last decade, there are still many challenges some of which include difficulty to produce filaments with consistent diameter, degraded mechanical properties and health hazards from emissions during extrusion. Furthermore, it was observed that communities across sub-Saharan Africa are interested in 3D printing but do not have sufficient understanding. The study highlights the need for building local capacity to develop, operate and maintain technologies associated with 3D printing.