FilaBot

The research-and-development company Filabot is creating “cutting edge miniaturization of industrial polymer processes” in order to recycle plastics into filament to be used by 3D printers. The Filabot grinds up household plastic items—DVDs, sunglasses, water bottles, milk jugs, and so on—and melts them into pellets that can be fused into filament. If the process can be made entirely efficient, this would create the model for a closed loop of resources between the ongoing recycling of materials and the autoindustrial production by self-replicating machines. Filabot lists as one of its values: “To turn a throwaway society into a society that reclaims and creates. With a large focus on education, we strive to learn, teach, and share information so that everyone can make a positive impact.”[i] [i] Filabot, “Our Company,” accessed February 4, 2021, https://www.filabot.com/pages/about-us.