We make 3D printer filament from waste plastic: Sidhant Pai

Sidhant Pai, who holds a degree in Environmental Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, started Protoprint to empower urban waste pickers with the technology to ethically produce fair trade 3D printer filament from the waste plastic they collect. Protoprint technology has the potential to offer solution to one of the pressing problems facing the urban cities – plastics waste - and also help ragpickers earn extra income.
 
The market for desktop FDM printers (that use the kind of filament Protoprint produces) is estimated to triple in size over the next few years. With the Indian market also likely to mimic the global trend in the upcoming years, the demand for filament is expected to increase manifold.
 
In this interview with Rakesh Rao, Sidhant Pai explains the business model of Protoprint and its aim to market the 3D printer filament globally by providing consumers with a price competitive, ethically sourced, recycled alternative to virgin plastic.
 
How did the idea of setting up Protoprint struck you?
I began working on this project my second year of college. I was working on a low-cost X-ray machine for rural India and was doing some ground research. Over the course of my trip, I was introduced to the waste picker community and was exposed to the difficulties these hard-working individuals dealt with on a day to day basis. At the same time, my father was getting into 3D printing as a hobby and, along with a family friend, was building a DIY (do it yourself) printer at home.
 
One day, my father and I were talking about the printer feedstock and about how the filament could potentially be recycled from old plastic. It was then that we thought of recycling plastic as a potential way to empower the waste pickers since they dealt with a lot of waste plastic.
 
As a side project, we started prototyping machines to process plastic bottles in mid-2012 but the first few attempts were largely unsuccessful. Eventually, we prototyped machines that worked and we managed to print with HDPE filament we had made ourselves. At that point, we decided to try and organise our work and Protoprint was born in May 2013. We then partnered with SWaCH, a major waste picker co-operative in Pune and began a pilot with them to test our process and iterate on our machines.
 
Kindly brief us about the business model of Protoprint
Protoprint is a social enterprise that empowers urban waste pickers in India with low-cost technology to produce 3D printer filament from waste plastic. Ordinarily, these hardworking individuals spend their days sorting through garbage often earning less than Rs 50 per day. Protoprint provides them with the opportunity to earn much more for the same amount of plastic by processing it into filament.
 
The model is to wholesale the filament globally to large distributors and 3D printer manufacturers, providing consumers with a low-cost, fair trade filament alternative to virgin plastic. The addressable market is largely users of Desktop FDM 3D printers (such as Ultimakers and MakerBots).
 
While 3D printing is a new and emerging market, studies indicate that it has been nearly doubling in size annually over the last few years and Forbes magazine estimates the global market for 3D printing as a whole will breach $4 billion by next year. In addition to the global market, we also focus on providing educational institutions in India with low-cost 3D printers and use our fair trade filament to provide their students with affordable prototyping facilities. 
 
Could you please share with us some of your earlier endeavours before starting Protoprint?
Prior to Protoprint, I have worked on a few smaller projects in Nicaragua, Tanzania and India. The project in Nicaragua was as part of a three person team to develop a low-cost solar cell-phone charger for rural areas without access to grid electricity. The project in Tanzania focused on designing and developing a pedal powered butter churn to add value to milk by converting it to butter.
 
I also worked for a year on developing a low-cost X-ray machine that could be powered by a 12V car battery for use in rural Indian clinics. Although I developed a prototype, the project was ultimately unsuccessful.
 
As an MIT graduate you have been involved in many projects globally. Why did you choose India for Protoprint?
While I like to think of myself as a global citizen, I was born and raised in India and am much more familiar with the socio-economic environment here. In addition, I feel a strong connection to India and believe we as Indians should start by fixing the problems we have here at home. Lastly, India is well suited to our model and is an ideal test case for the concept for fair trade filament. 
 
Standardisation (in terms of size and quality) of filaments, used in 3D printers, is an issue. How do you intend to solve it?
We are putting in place a number of protocols to ensure that our filament is consistent (both in terms of quality and physical attributes). In addition, we are working with a UK Charity to create a quality standard for ‘ethical filament’. Protoprint’s Fair Trade Filament will adhere to high quality standards and will be thoroughly tested on a number of printers prior to commercial production. 
 
Which are the other challenges faced by Protoprint?
Our major challenge going forward will be quality control on the supply side. While we are putting in place a number of protocols to ensure strict regulation, I envision it to be our most pressing concern going forward.
 
How is the market (globally and in India) for filaments (used in 3D printers)?
The market for desktop FDM printers (that use the kind of filament we produce) has been growing exponentially over the past few years and estimates suggest it will triple in size over the next few years. The Indian market is slowly emerging and will likely mimic the global trend in the upcoming years. As 3D printers become cheaper and more accessible, the market for filament will rise sharply.
 
By when do you think Protoprint will begin commercial production? How soon Protoprint will breakeven?
Contingent on successful testing, we plan on beginning commercial production by early 2015 and project to break even by the year end.
 
What is you long-term outlook for your business?
Long term, I see Protoprint  becoming a bastion for the fair trade filament movement, serving as a model to promote sustainable 3D printing in India and abroad.
 
Any other innovations you are currently working on?
I am currently working on a few non-profit projects under my NGO (called Social Seva). My current projects are a low-cost air pollution network for urban Indian cities and an online open education platform for underprivileged school children in India.