K-Cup Recycler

thingiverse

Human: [New version 6 page](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4683310) K-Cups are notoriously difficult to cut with knives and scissors, which can be messy and cumbersome. Even my first gen Recycler with a stationary blade was challenging because you have to turn the flimsy cup, which becomes even more delicate as you cut, until the last 10mm won't budge to complete the cut. I decided that gripping the lid of the K-Cup where it's most rigid would make turning during cutting easier. So, I designed this K-Cup Recycler with a gripping turning ring, a retractable razor blade, and a lid ejector. The only two parts that are not printed are standard household razor blades and ball-point pen springs (5mm x 30mm). You'll need to glue the retainer (orange) to the gripper ring (dark purple), as this is the only part that requires bonding. If you don't, it will fly apart when you try to eject your cut lid. [Latest model video](https://youtu.be/-VA2185p2Ro) (Update): We switched brands of K-Cups and discovered that the Amazon brand was slightly smaller, causing it to slip and not cut properly. I edited the gripper ring a third time to add deeper teeth to grip the edge of the cup and reduced the count of teeth to four, making it easier to press down on the cup. Now it grabs both brands' cups equally well. (Update2): This update has been superseded by Update 4. (Update3 10/17/20): DGGrant suggested adding gripping texture to the top left corner to prevent fingers from slipping when wet. I've added this feature and replaced all files with v4. (Update4 12/2/20): The ejector was falling out too easily, so I designed a threaded retainer nut to secure it in place. This is much simpler than heating the split ball and spreading it. A new "V5 Ejector+Nut" has been uploaded separately. If you've already printed the whole thing, you can just print the "V5 Ejector+Nut" to replace your current ejector. (Update5 12/12/20): Version 6 has been created with elongated finger grips and a blade guard. It's different enough that I wanted to post it separately. V6 is ideal for people with weak fingers or arthritis. You'll find it here: [New v6 K-Cup Recycler](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4683310) Update6 12/31/20: I was experiencing razor blade slippage with my original tray, so I upgraded the tray with a deeper razor cut-out and a tapered edge to hold the blade down at the outside edge. This changes how you insert the razor blade – it should be inserted at the outside edge first, then snapped down into place. See picture. This holds the blade far better.