A Czech company is making a revolution in sustainable manufacturing by using recycled ocean waste to make a 3D-printed model of the Eiffel Tower for a local Olympics event.
Jan Hrebabecky is the owner of 3DDen printing farm, a company that uses printing filament made from ocean waste. Talking about this project he said, “The material for the Eiffel Tower comes from the shores of Thailand.” He further added, “It has excellent mechanic and chemical qualities, great UV resistance, and it is practically immortal.”
The model is estimated to be 14 m (46 feet) high and will be installed at an Olympic festival in the north of the Czech Republic. In this location, during the months of July and August, the public will be able to try their hands at different Olympic sports during the Paris Games.
Plastic Eiffel Tower
With over 200 printers, Hrebabecky’s company has printed miniature sculptures, key rings, medals, and USB keys. But he is aiming for bigger things and projects. Speaking about his bigger goals, he said, “But my goal is to print really large things, so we’re making furniture and interior decorations as well.”
His printers are now engaged with the Eiffel Tower project. It is a puzzle of 1600 3D-printed pieces. They’re fortified with strong enough steel rods.
This project is constructed from material equivalent to 800,000 plastic bottles. This two-tons structure would be located next to the Most Lake in the northern Czech Republic. The Olympic festival will be hosted here from July 26 to August 11. It will allow people to try their luck in 52 Olympic sports and even meet Czech athletes in person.
For Hrebabecky, this Eiffel Tower project is his first step towards a big dream he wants to accomplish soon. He wants to build a printed house. He expressed this and said, “If you build a house using this material, it is almost certain that it will never return to the ocean again.”
Nada Cerna, who is the Czech Olympic Committee manager in charge of the event talked about this effort from 3DDen. She expressed how this eco-friendly approach has impressed the organizers.
She said, “It’s very important for us. Oceans are a place where people do sports like sailing and windsurfing. So if we can highlight the problem in this way and maybe help a bit, we’re really happy. “
3D-Printed Eiffel Tower from Ocean Waste for Olympics by Czech by 3DDen seems a good step towards the war between planet vs. plastics – 60% less plastic by Earth Day 2040.
Process and Technology
The plastic waste is collected by Thai fishermen and is then sent for sorting. It is then cleansed, desalinated, and dried. Then a Swiss company comes into the picture. It turns the waste into granules which are then used by the Czech company to make 3D-printing filaments.
Talking about this filament, Hrebabecky said, “It can crystallize in the printer and destroy it immediately.” To cope with this new type of material, Hrebabecky had to construct a new printer. This has helped the team overcome other challenges like material crystallization.
This filament also has certain advantages like its price, which is lower than most traditional filaments. Hrebabecky said, “There are huge deposits of this priceless material, and anybody can come and take it.”
This project truly underscored the real potential of 3D printing in sustainable manufacturing. It has paved the way for many more such future projects and innovations.
Source: 3DDen
