The Best Machines for Recycling Plastic and Making Your Own 3D Printing Filament

Whether we like it or not, 3D printing generates waste. Failed parts, material purges, supports that end up in the trash, prints that no longer meet expectations. For a long time, that plastic had no other destination than the trash. But the industry has been searching for years for a solution more in line with the sustainability principles many makers want to apply in their daily work: recovering that material, giving it a second life, and reintegrating it into the printing process as new filament.

That’s where filament recycling machines come in. They’re available as DIY kits for those who enjoy the process as much as the result, as well as ready-to-use commercial products. If you’ve been thinking about adding one to your workspace, this selection will help you get started. We’ve gathered some of the most interesting options on the market, with very different profiles in terms of price, technical skill level required, and compatible materials, so you can find the one that best suits your needs. The machines are listed in no particular order.

Polyformer

Developed by California-based industrial designer Reiten Cheng, the Polyformer is a fully open-source, 3D-printed filament recycler that converts discarded PET bottles into 1.75mm filament compatible with standard FDM printers. The goal is straightforward: give independent makers an affordable path to working with reclaimed material instead of purchasing new plastic. The machine works by using a stacked-bearing slicing tool that strips a bottle into a continuous ribbon, which is then fed into a repurposed hotend that thermoforms it into finished filament. Built almost entirely from 3D-printed components and off-the-shelf hardware common to desktop 3D printers, it’s an accessible DIY project with a modular architecture that allows individual components to be swapped or modified as needed. Want to build one? The full details and build guide are available HERE.