Turning Bottles Into Filament
Pultrusion, not extrusion
Standard filament is pushed through a nozzle. The Recreator3D pulls a heated strip of bottle through a die instead, spooling it into round, printable filament as it goes. That is the whole idea behind turning a recycling bin into a filament spool.
Quick facts
Most recycled plastic
PET is one of the most widely recycled plastics on earth, easy to find, easy to reuse.
Genuinely strong
Recycled PET filament has tested competitively against commercial PETG and ABS.
Recycled at home
Turning a bottle into filament keeps it out of the waste stream entirely.
Built for beginners
The MK6 exists because the community asked for a simpler, cheaper way in.
Build It Yourself
Every file, part list, and instruction is free, no catch. Print the parts, source the hardware from your local hardware store, and follow the written guide start to finish. It is the same build we used ourselves, and it is meant to be shared with schools, makerspaces, and anyone curious enough to try. If you get stuck, the DIY guide walks through settings, troubleshooting, and the full parts list.
Don't Want to Build It? Buy the MK6
Designed by Josh at JRT3D, built with KB3D. The MK6 Fun Size is smaller and faster than earlier builds, and made to be an easy first machine.
- Compact, desktop printer sized footprint
- Dual geared motor, faster and steadier pulling
- Runs on PET number one bottles
- About three times faster than the older MK5 build
- Purpose built 12 volt parts, no printer to salvage needed
MK6 Fun Size Kit, by KB3D
Skip the sourcing entirely. KB3D ships the official boxed parts kit, ready to build.
Watch bottles become filament
Real builds, real prints, real recycling. Follow along for the whole process.
Follow @eco.print3dPartners with Recreator3D since 2025
Created by Joshua Taylor of JRT3D, whose whole mission is making it easy to turn waste into something new. We could not recommend it more.
Everything you need is free
Files, guide, community, all waiting. Just add a bottle.