The Recreator 3D

Operations Manual

Designed and Built By:

- With Design Contributions from Nick Jones and Ross Conley.

Thank You to Everyone who made The Recreator 3D Possible!

RECREATOR3D.COM - RECYCLE.XYZ - JRT3D.COM - 2021

Inspired by The Online DIY PET Pultrusion Community and

Page 1 The Recreator 3D : Operations Manual - By: Joshua R. Taylor - 11/02/2021 Rev1 - JRT3D.COM
TOOLS NEEDED :
$7.99 -

https://amzn.to/3GXTi7z -

6 Inch Needle Nose Pliers

$6.89 -

https://amzn.to/309wL74 -

Micro Cutter Flush Cutter

$11.09 -

https://amzn.to/3EURjPh -

Digital Caliper, Adoric 0-6"

$6.99 -

https://amzn.to/3qcKGnw -

Cut Resistant Gloves

Page 2 The Recreator 3D : Operations Manual - By: Joshua R. Taylor - 11/02/2021 Rev1 - JRT3D.COM
 $8.08 -

https://amzn.to/3mS9Be0 -

DEWALT DPG94-1C
Dominator SAFETY
Glasses, Clear Lens

$7.96 -

https://amzn.to/3GY3qx7 -

Cut Resistant Gloves

$10.92 -

https://amzn.to/3CZzxKp -

Precision Scissors, Small

$11.80 -

https://amzn.to/3EW9m7V -

Goo Gone Pro Power

Page 3 The Recreator 3D : Operations Manual - By: Joshua R. Taylor - 11/02/2021 Rev1 - JRT3D.COM
 $5.89 -

https://amzn.to/3o9MiMg -

Derma-Plane Razor

$37.77 -

https://amzn.to/3EXIm7P -

Variable Temp Heat Gun

$1.00 -

https://www.dollartree.com/
jot-retractable-card-holders
-4125x1375-in/307646 -

Jot Retractable Card

Page 4 The Recreator 3D : Operations Manual - By: Joshua R. Taylor - 11/02/2021 Rev1 - JRT3D.COM
General Information Before Starting

MK3Lite uses a single motor and can pull upwards to 300-400mm, with 300mm being

the suggested pull speed. With hot end temps 195-210C degrees. 200C degrees is needed

in order for the printer to run the gcode commands.

MK3Pro uses dual motors and can pull upwards to 300-600mm, with 300mm being the

suggested pull speed and is suggested for more industrial experimental graded plastics

beyond soda bottles. With hot end temps 195-210C degrees. 200C degrees is needed in

order for the printer to run the gcode commands.

Going Above 600mm in speed with temps higher than 210C are not suggested as you

can start to see degradation in the filament quality. 195-210C with 300-400mm are the

comfortable ranges for the two machines, with 300mm @ 210C being the suggested pull

speed and temperature.

While loading the filament with a pair of pliers; if you struggle to pull the filament

through the nozzle manually, the filament is likely cut too wide based on the bottle’s

thickness. There should be some force needed to pull the filament - but you shouldn't

struggle. The strip should glide through with a good amount of forward pull.

Page 5 The Recreator 3D : Operations Manual - By: Joshua R. Taylor - 11/02/2021 Rev1 - JRT3D.COM
 If you experience skipping or binding in your pull, the bottle thickness may be thicker

than you think. Turning the bottle cutter’s size adjustment with a flat head screwdriver; try

reducing the size of the width to the next lowest size, this should allow for better pull. For

example, if a bottle is .30 thickness it can be cut at a 8mm width...this should be able to be

pulled at 300mm @ 210C on both MK3Lite and MK3Pro. If you experience skipping,

consider measuring the thickness of your bottle again or simply going to the next lowest

size. Not all bottles are created the same.

If still experiencing binding, reduce the pull speed to the next lowest speed. This should

reduce the skipping. If still experiencing either skipping or binding, double check you’ve

reduced the strips width. You can also make sure your spool rod nuts are not fully locked.

A little loose is better than super tight.

If you find the bottle is making a rough sandpaper textured filament, Speeds may be

excessive. Try slowing down the speeds. You may also try to use the bottle cutter guide

and twist the filament, placing the guide into it’s locking slot. This should help add some

tension in the pull and relieve this roughness.

Page 6 The Recreator 3D : Operations Manual - By: Joshua R. Taylor - 11/02/2021 Rev1 - JRT3D.COM
 Each spooling command is long enough for a 2L bottle. You will see the strip getting

smaller towards the neck of the soda bottle and this is a good time to cut the bottle from

the pull. Cut toward the back of the unit and let the puller continue the pull. Be very careful

at this point. The filament will come out from the nozzle and will whurl around in a circle.

It’s suggested to have on safety glasses for this step, as well to keep your face away from

your unit while unloading the filament. You can hold onto the filament as it’s coming

through on this step and that will reduce the spool unwinding by itself. Protecting your

face and eyes is the most crucial part of this step. Safety first!

Standard 2L soda bottles work especially well letting The Recreator 3D Do the pulling

for you. Not all PET#1 bottles will work - so experimenting is crucial. If you find the filament

you are trying to pull is too much for the unit; with all ratios in proper order, you can cut

the strips by hand and load the unit without a loaded bottle. This is suggested for other

PET materials not in the form of bottles. It should help with binding and allow for an easier

pull.

Please submit your findings to the master index of easily converted plastics. The unit

can also be used to manually pull PET strips and then load them into the pultruder sans

the cutter strip during the conversion process.

Page 7 The Recreator 3D : Operations Manual - By: Joshua R. Taylor - 11/02/2021 Rev1 - JRT3D.COM
Preparing for Extrusion

1. Clean and wash your bottle of all labels and glue. The bottles must be fully clean and

dry from water and other cleaning solutions. To remove labels; soak the bottles in hot

water, and peel them off. Try not to use a knife to cut the bottles, as this may damage your

bottles. Apply vegetable oil or Goo Gone to the glue. Scrub it off and wash with soapy

water. Rinse thoroughly with water and dry.

2. This Step Is optional and not necessary, but can gain a few extra grams per bottle. To

smooth out the bottle (if the bottle has curves or you want a rounded bottom), use a heat

gun and a drill. Connect the bottle to the drill (using a bolt attached to it’s cap) and rotate it

over a heat gun (with a little water inside the bottle) to smooth out any ruffles or bumps in

the bottle.

3. Cut off the bottom of the bottle and finish drying if needed. Cut off a small strip and

use a pair of calipers to measure the thickness of the bottle. Refer to the “Bottle Thickness

to Cut Width” conversion chart to determine these ratios. To keep things moving efficiently,

It’s suggested to group your bottles together by brand and type to avoid needing to change

the cutter's thickness constantly. Change the bottle cutter height as needed using a

flathead screwdriver.

Page 8 The Recreator 3D : Operations Manual - By: Joshua R. Taylor - 11/02/2021 Rev1 - JRT3D.COM
Bottle Thickness to Cut Width Conversion Chart

Bottle thickness 0.20 mm --- width 10 mm --- Filament diameter 1.6

Bottle thickness 0.25 mm --- width 09 mm --- Filament diameter 1.6

Bottle thickness 0.30 mm --- width 08 mm --- Filament diameter 1.6

Bottle thickness 0.35 mm --- width 07 mm --- Filament diameter 1.6

Bottle thickness 0.40 mm --- width 06 mm --- Filament diameter 1.6

Bottle thickness 0.45 mm --- width 05 mm --- Filament diameter 1.6

Page 9 The Recreator 3D : Operations Manual - By: Joshua R. Taylor - 11/02/2021 Rev1 - JRT3D.COM
Operating The Recreator 3D

1. Cut a small strip along the bottle. Insert the bottle rod into the cutter base. Drop the

bottle onto the rod and start to rotate the bottle through the cutter to start the strip. Make

sure the bottle is sitting on top of the bearings. Attach the bottle weight to the top and

attach the keyfob tensioner from the weight to the base of the cutter. Pull about 10 inches

or so to work with.

2. Power on the unit. Cut the strip into a thread. About 1/16th of a 2 inch length. Thread

the strip through the 1.60mm nozzle by hand. Try your best to keep the end centered in the

hole, so that it can fit through the nozzle on the opposite end. Once you get it through the

nozzle, use pliers to grab the end of the plastic. DO NOT use your hands to pull the

filament. It’s very easy to harm yourself doing this.

3. Continue to grip the ribbon on the nozzle side with a pair of pliers. Set the heat to

approximately 200°C, and wait before proceeding. Be mindful the temps will rise and the

strip will deform, at this point it can pull itself backwards due to warping. You should

slowly start to pull the filament forward as temps get around 140C. At 180C is where the

filament should start to easily be pulled through the nozzle. 195C is suggested lowest

temps. Bring the temps to 200C, as the unit won't run until this temperature is hit 200C.

Page 10 The Recreator 3D : Operations Manual - By: Joshua R. Taylor - 11/02/2021 Rev1 -
JRT3D.COM
 4. Once heated, attempt to pull the filament through the heating block with a pair of

pliers. This may take a bit of force. If you find that you are exerting a lot of force in order to

do this, you may need to wait for it to heat up a while longer or double check your bottle’s

cut width vs it’s thickness.

5. Continue to pull the filament with the pliers in an even; smooth motion, until you have

approximately 14 inches of filament extruded. You can either noose your filament with a

draw string or continue to pull enough to noose into the spooler. Lock the filament into

place with a spacer that is either printed or taken from your wheels.

6. Slowly move your spooler towards the right to tension the filament onto the spool

intiaitally. Once this is done, you can start up the stepper motor. On your SD Card should

be your travel commands. Based on your bottle loaded, determine what speed is best and

load that gcode command. Run the 300mm gcode from the SD Card to start the pultrusion

process. This is the standard suggested speed for both MK3Lite and MK3Pro.

7. Continue until all the ribbon has been extruded. Running the gcode should finish a 2L

bottle. If not, make sure temps are still active and manually extrude an additional length

after cutting the strip. At the end; the filament may spring forward, so it is best to stay back

from the machine until it is completely stopped. Consider wearing safety glasses for the

end step as well as holding the filament as it comes out of the nozzle and onto the spooler

on the final stretch.

Page 11 The Recreator 3D : Operations Manual - By: Joshua R. Taylor - 11/02/2021 Rev1 -
JRT3D.COM
 8. Turn the temperature 0 or power down the unit and untie your filament from the spool.

You will have to manually remove and spool up your filament.

9. The process is complete! Your filament is ready to use.

Preparing Your Printer To work With the Pultruded Filament

We’ve included this to easily guide you along in your first time use of this experimental

filament.

This filament is actually similar to a straw, with a hollow inside. The outer diameter is

formed through the nozzle (any size can be drilled), ours is around 1.60mm. With the

expansion of this material as well the nature of it being hollow…this diameter can be within

an “ish” variant. We’ve seen numbers between 1.58-1.66mm.

With the above in mind; we’ve found increasing our favorite slicer’s flow rate to 150%

(1.10) has allowed us to bypass this variant. You may also experiment changing your

filament diameter to 1.60mm.

Please use the filament wisely. We suggest the smaller amounts be used first among

your initial calibrations. Once you’re happy with your settings, try something with the

larger amounts.

Page 12 The Recreator 3D : Operations Manual - By: Joshua R. Taylor - 11/02/2021 Rev1 -
JRT3D.COM
 We’ve found that this filament needs to be cooled, with no cooling the filament can

transition to a harder density.

If you find your filament is not properly bonding – You can increase your flow rates

within your slicer. We’ve found using the following slicer settings has allowed us to print

successfully. If you find this not to be the case, please reach out to us via our Facebook

group account. We’d also love to know about what settings worked for you and what you

printed, please join the group and share your finished prints!

Filament from soda bottles suggested slicer settings using CURA 4.8 and Ender 3

clone with direct drive and dual parts cooling:

● Layer Height...............0.2mm

● Nozzle Temp..............255

● Bed Temp...................75

● Flow...........................150%

● Initial Layer Flow.......160%

● Print Speed ...............30%

● Fan.............................20%

● Retraction..................4.5mm

● Retraction Speed…....40

3DBenchy - The jolly 3D printing torture-test by CreativeTools.se

- Printed with Coca Cola Soda PET Bottle on a Ender 3 Clone with Direct Drive.

STL: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:763622

Page 13 The Recreator 3D : Operations Manual - By: Joshua R. Taylor - 11/02/2021 Rev1 -
JRT3D.COM
Polyethylene terephthalate

Polyethylene terephthalate, is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester

family and is used in fibres for clothing, containers for liquids and foods, and thermoforming for

manufacturing, and in combination with glass fibre for engineering resins. Wikipedia

Melting point: 500°F (260°C)

Formula: (C10H8O4)n

Density: 1.38 g/cm³

IUPAC ID: Poly(ethyl benzene-1,4-dicarboxylate)

Boiling point: 350 °C (662 °F; 623 K) (decomposes)

Molar mass: 10–50 kg/mol, variesAbbreviations: PET, PETE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene_terephthalate

Page 14 The Recreator 3D : Operations Manual - By: Joshua R. Taylor - 11/02/2021 Rev1 -
JRT3D.COM
DONATIONS ARE WELCOME!

Scan the QR to Donate and help with Future Projects!

Consider supporting the good work Joshua R. Taylor does by donating or sharing

with others who'd like to help.

Page 15 The Recreator 3D : Operations Manual - By: Joshua R. Taylor - 11/02/2021 Rev1 -
JRT3D.COM