Japanese printer company Epson has created a dream device to recycle paper to put right back into their printers. The “PaperLab” takes shredded paper from an office space and recycles it to create new paper.
Without using any water, the “PaperLab” breaks paper down to its fibers—so whatever was previously on it securely disappears—without having to send anything off to a private shredding company. After loading the “PaperLab” with waste paper, it takes about three minutes to churn out a fresh new sheet, and can produce 14 A4 standard sheets per minute, which is about 6,270 sheets in a regular eight-hour work day.
The “PaperLab” can make new paper in varying sizes and thicknesses. It uses a three-step, dry-fiber process. Fiberizing takes the paper down to its tiny fibers, binding increases the strength and whiteness of the paper and gives the option of adding color, fragrance, or even a flame resistance. And finally, the forming process produces the actual sheets of paper.
Epson plans on releasing the “PaperLab” in Japan in 2016, with options for other countries coming soon after.