Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to commonly asked questions about our products and services.
Why do you buy bottles when there are millions in landfills?
I don’t buy bottles, I buy water for drinking and cooking
What software do you use?
3DModeling: onshape.com, blender
Slicer: Orca, Bambu Studio
What is the electricity cost of 3D printing and making filament?
3D printers do not use much electricity, only about 50-150 Watts while printing, PETALOT PET machine use 60 Watts maximum.
Genius idea?
The idea is great but it’s not new and it’s not mine. The designs, plans, electronics and firmware that I share are my designs based and inspired by many other projects on the internet.
Can we see DIY tutorial?
At what width do you cut the plastic strip from the bottle?
The width of the cut depends on the thickness of the bottle wall, as a general rule:
Thickness(mm)->Width(mm): 0.2->10, 0.25->9, 0.3->8, 0.35->7
How do you make the strip round?
At 195ºC and about 25cm/min the PET plastic strip is bent into a straw shape by force, the plastic does not melt at any time when the filament is being made, only when 3D printing is when it melts at 255ºC.
Does this come through the extruder solid or is it just rolled over?
Rolled over, a flow rate of 120% or more is required
How do you get such clean results with bottle filament?
I clean the plastic thoroughly at every stage of the process; before cutting the bottles, I wash them with soap and water, and use a solvent if there are any traces of glue.
Does 3D printing with PET plastic give off a smell?
PET fumes are, like PETG, harmless and odorless
How many bottle do you need to make 1 kg?
It depends on the bottle size and thickness, but on average you need around 20 5L PET bottles to make 1 kg of filament
Can I join or solder the flat plastic strips before extruding them into filament?
No, you should not join the plastic strips prior to extrusion. Attempting to solder flat strips beforehand is time-consuming, difficult, and creates weak joints that will almost certainly snap or jam when passing through the hotend.
The proper method is to extrude each bottle strip individually into filament first, and then fuse the finished filament strands together to build larger spools. Joining the finished round filament is much easier, cleaner, and produces a strong, uniform diameter that prints reliably.
Here are the resources for joining the extruded filament:
Video technique: https://youtube.com/shorts/c4fcYOKZ3D8
Splicing Jig (STL): https://makerworld.com/en/models/190910-filament-splicing-jig-reremix#profileId-215930