DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A MULTIFUNCTIONAL 3D ROBOT FOR KITCHEN WASTE RECYCLING

Abstract

Currently, household kitchen waste is commonly disposed of either by mixing with other garbage or by directly discharging it into sewer systems. Such practices lead to several environmental and sanitary issues, including contamination of recyclable materials, reduced efficiency of waste sorting, pipe blockages, increased load on sewage treatment facilities, and microbial growth. To achieve on-site, resource-oriented, and high-value utilization of kitchen waste, this paper proposes a multifunctional kitchen robot that integrates kitchen waste processing with 3D printing. The device can directly convert kitchen waste into practical items such as flowerpots, thereby realizing waste reuse and low-carbon environmental goals. Based on the principle of Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing, the robot features improved mechanical structures and feeding methods to enable the use of kitchen waste as a printable material. The integrated system combines automatic crushing, conveying, printing, and self-cleaning functions. The feeding system consists of an extrusion mechanism and a cleaning water pump. The printing unit adopts an MB structure to effectively reduce print bed vibration and improve printing accuracy. The nozzle uses a screw extrusion method, eliminating the traditional heating module and heated bed, thus significantly reducing energy consumption. A dual-chamber isolation design is implemented: the kitchen waste processing module crushes the waste into a slurry and extrudes it for printing. When printing high-structural components, additives can be introduced to enhance mechanical properties, and the printed objects achieve usable strength after natural drying. An independent food printing module, comprising a precise feeding mechanism and a mixing mechanism, enables quantitative proportioning and uniform mixing of ingredients such as flour and sugar for personalized 3D-printed cookies. The two systems operate independently, ensuring hygienic safety. The robot supports both automatic and manual control modes, with adjustable parameters such as crushing duration, water addition, and extrusion speed, offering convenient operation. This robot integrates kitchen waste valorization and multifunctional manufacturing, significantly reducing the volume of household waste requiring collection and transportation as well as associated environmental pollution. It is suitable for households, communities, and educational outreach scenarios such as campus science demonstrations, providing a novel technical solution for low-carbon kitchen waste treatment and home-based smart manufacturing.