Massachusetts teen Benjamin Davis wins $75,000 for 3-D filament recycler
Benjamin Davis, a 16-year-old from Massachusetts, scored the Regeneron Young Scientist Award (and $75,000) for inventing a machine that recycles leftover 3-D printing material into new filament.
His project caught the attention at the 2025 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Columbus, Ohio, showing how smart ideas can tackle real-world waste.
Enables makers to reuse discarded filament
Davis's machine is a big step up: it's 45% more efficient and costs about 90% less than commercial recycling machines.
After spending over 800 hours and refining his design more than 50 times, he created a system that lets makers reuse their discarded filament for future projects.
Inspired by this win, Davis now wants to study advanced manufacturing and mechanical or materials engineering in college.