Design and Implementation of an Innovative Clay Extrusion Technique for Sustainable and Eco-Friendly 3D Printing

Cheah, Hagrid Yu Wei (2025) Design and Implementation of an Innovative Clay Extrusion Technique for Sustainable and Eco-Friendly 3D Printing. Final Year Project (Diploma), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

Text Report-23WGD02849-HAGRID CHEAH YU WEI.pdf Restricted to Registered users only Download (3MB)

Abstract

This project addresses traditional ceramic manufacturing and polymer-based FDM 3D printing limitations by developing a hybrid extrusion system with plunger and auger mechanism for the Creality Ender 3V2 3D Printer to facilitate environmentally friendly clay 3D Printing without needing to convert filament. The extrusion system had successfully printed low complexity geometries like cylinders and cubes by optimizing 3D Printing parameters and taking advantage of the natural recyclability of clay, demonstrating less material loss while compatibility with sustainable manufacturing goals. Nevertheless, problems with clay 3D printing like printing thin-wall, hollow structures demonstrated limitations in structural integrity and retraction interference. This work advances sustainable additive manufacturing by bridging non-recyclable thermoplastics, introducing a cost-effective method for art, functional, and heritage conservation purposes, with a base to advance material composite enhancements, firmware algorithm, and design standards in the future for complex geometries.