"If this [waste-made plastic] can now be fed into a 3D printer, can you actually print a whole range of products ... to wait a long time to source these parts and components," said Sahajwalla.

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is regularly used on ... whether there are limits to how many times plastic can be re-used. Ultimately, researchers plan to create a database of ...

The innovative technology has found countless applications in the automotive world, from tooling to accessories.

Though effective for mass production, maintaining the molds and curing ovens (where the plastic hardens ... and ideal for custom parts like prosthetics. "Polymer 3D printing equipment has matured ...

For now, the print materials are mostly hauled up from Earth. But NASA has also begun recycling some of those materials, such as waste plastic, to make new parts with the Refabricator, an advanced 3D ...

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing ... are limits to how many times plastic can be re-used. Ultimately, researchers plan to create a database of parts that can be manufactured ...