Experimental Study of Virgin ABS, Recycled ABS and Basal FibreRecycled ABS Composites by Hot Press

The ongoing massive depletion of renewable and non-resources around the globe has presented the grave concern for human society. One material that requires sustainable practices is plastics, consumed widely in the world. According to a discussion paper by Anderson and Gbor (2024), till 2020-2021, annually Australia generates around 3.8 million tons of plastics out of which around only 0.4 million tonnes are recovered, and rest are being disposed to land and water. Out of varieties of polymers, ABS and PLA are some of the most popular for the manufacturing processes in the 3D printing industries. ABS plastics are also found in household items. Source of waste in the 3D printing industries are failed prints, support materials and unneeded or obsolete 3D printed models. This study aims to examine the mechanical properties of composite materials of basalt fibre and recycled ABS, including tensile, flexural and impact properties. In this study, pellets of virgin ABS are used as a baseline for understanding the degradation in recycled plastics.