# At-Home Filament Makers Filabot Recycles Old Plastic Items into 3D Printing Materials By Gil Cohen | Published 2013-03-06 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/3d-printing-materials References: [coolthings](http://www.coolthings.com/filabot-3d-filament-maker/) & [filabot](http://filabot.com/) Filaments are the 3D printing materials or the "ink" that 3D printers use in order to create an almost unlimited number of items. With 3D printing, the point is to cut out the middleman and manufacture objects and tools to your own custom specification right at home, keeping costs low. However, buying filaments can be expensive and detrimental to the environment. With the Filabot, anyone can use old water bottles and other plastic materials to create their own filament, becoming even more self-sufficient and efficient than ever before. When you can make our own [3D items](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/multimaterial-3d-printer) and your own 3D printing materials out of recycled materials, you never have to make unnecessary purchases ever again. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.7/10 - Popularity: 79% | Activity: 55% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **At-home Filament Making:** Filabot offers a disruptive innovation opportunity for individuals to create their own 3D printing materials at home using recycled plastic items. - **Sustainability in 3D Printing:** Using a Filabot to recycle plastic items into 3D printing materials highlights a trend towards environmentally-friendly practices in the 3D printing industry. - **Affordable 3D Printing:** Creating 3D printing materials at home with a Filabot can cut costs for individuals looking to create custom objects and tools. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Consumer Goods:** The consumer goods industry can benefit from using Filabot to create sustainable and affordable 3D printing materials for custom products. - **Manufacturing:** Using a Filabot to create 3D printing materials from recycled plastic items can improve sustainability practices in the manufacturing industry. - **Waste Management:** The waste management industry can consider implementing innovations like Filabot to reduce environmental waste and improve sustainability practices. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Date Pit 3D-Printing Filaments](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/repit.md) - [Plastic-Molding Benchtop Printers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/benchtop-injection-molding.md) - [Eco-Friendly 3D Printer Concepts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/loop-concept.md) - [Multicolor Printer Filament Modules](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/filament-module.md) - [Chocolate Filament 3D Printers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cocoa-press-3d-printer.md) - [3D Printer Filament Dryers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/3d-printer-filament-dryer.md) - [3D-Printed Ball Machines](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fraens.md) - [Personal Manufacturing 3D Printers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bambu-lab-h2d.md) - [Fully Recyclable 3D-Printed Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/biohome3d.md)