As a hurricane ravaged the Solomon Islands, a man clutched a 3D printer to his chest to prevent it from being blown away by the fierce winds. This 3D printer continued to print parts for essential infrastructure, while his colleagues installed solar panels to power it.
This passionate man is Dr. Marsha Mohamed, a postgraduate student from Deakin University's School of Engineering, and the 3D printer is a LulzBot Mini.
"We felt that if we could test everything in the worst and most unsuitable conditions, short of being underwater, then we would succeed. This is good because these are the environmental conditions in which the printers ultimately work, and if we can do this in cyclones, high humidity, and heavy rain, it means we can print almost anywhere," Dr. Marsha said.
．Environmental Innovation
The challenges of material sourcing and waste disposal are not uncommon for island communities; residents of Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, are also struggling with large amounts of plastic waste, clogged waterways, and dead marine life. Furthermore, their access to clean drinking water is limited by infrastructure and natural environment, with no parts available for repairs.
However, in Dr. Marsha's eyes, two seemingly disparate problems created a glimmer of hope.
He and his colleagues collaborated with Plan International and volunteers to address these two issues: turning plastic waste into repair parts for infrastructure. Their engineering work involved grinding waste plastic into rice-sized pellets, then using a portable filament extruder to convert it back into usable raw material for a 3D printer. Then, according to demand, they produced fittings, pipes, gaskets, and seal strips, etc., and printed them on a LulzBot Mini 3D printer. "This 3D printing technology can be used to quickly replace broken seal strips, pipes, and other equipment critical to water supply or sanitation facilities," Dr. Marsha said.
．Go with the "Flow" – Open-Source Equipment Creates Infinite Possibilities
"The ultimate goal of this endeavor is to provide 3D printing technology to people in disaster areas and developing countries, especially those without stable power supply. An important part of this project is its sustainability, not only can the 3D printer use plastic waste found nearby, but it can also be powered by solar cells," Dr. Marsha said. The open-source nature of LulzBot 3D printers allowed the team to modify their LulzBot Mini to operate directly on a 24-volt system and connect directly to solar cells.
Dr. Marsha enumerated his favorite aspects of the LulzBot Mini's durability and ease of use: "In the environment of a tropical cyclone, 3D printing with recycled plastic filament did not result in any failed prints; I believe the LulzBot Mini is an excellent 3D printer capable of working in the harshest conditions! We are always ready to unbox and use it!" he said, looking forward to LulzBot continuing to develop excellent 3D printers.
In fact, LulzBot recently launched the second-generation LulzBot Mini 2, which is quieter and has a larger print volume than the original first generation, supporting more open-source materials. Best of all, you can now purchase it on our website! If you want to learn more about 3D printing, we will continue to share new applications and technologies, so please stay tuned.
Original link: https://www.lulzbot.com/learn/case-studies/3d-printing-turns-plastic-problems-life-saving-solutions