Would you like to print a real sailboat? Not just a picture, thanks to an Italian-based manufacturing company, we can now build a sailboat using 3D printing and robotic technology. The future is now, we can print a freaking functional boat and sail it out to the open seas. Just imagine the potential, having a vacation in a beach house, printing a sailboat, and having fun with no hassles.
The world’s first 3D printed sailboat was created in a collaboration between an Italian manufacturer, named Caracol, and a green tech company, named Nextchem. The two companies are working together and push the 3D printing technology to the limit by having a relatively massive construction.
Not only that, the Beluga, the name of the pioneering 3D printed sailboat, is made using recycled materials. This boat is not only super cool but also environmentally friendly. With the world getting filled up with trash everywhere, recycling will become an essential part of a manufacturing process.
In other words, combined with the efficient 3D printer technology, we can hopefully solve pollution by building new cool stuff using recycled materials. The 3D printed sailboat Beluga is proof that with a creative mind, we can actually do it.
This ambitious project was first introduced at Milan Design Week 2021. Because of the way it was manufactured, this sailboat immediately became an international sensation. After all, recycling and 3D printing are two issues that may become the key to overcoming the world’s trash problem.
Nextchem, as an innovative green company, turns discarded trash into sustainable and cost-effective recycled materials. The company first turns the trash into mulch and shapes them into tiny pellets. These pellets then will be used to feed the 3D printer.
Using recycled materials will make the cost of sailboats manufacturing process become less expensive. It is also much more sustainable because there is always trash that needs to be recycled. You will not run out of raw materials.
The Beluga sailboat was assembled using the 3D printer’s robotic arms of Caracol’s manufacturing system. The 3D printer will melt the tiny pellets made out of trash from Nextchem.
Then, the pointy end of the arm will extrude the melted pellets paste and directly shape the sailboat. It is very precise movement controlled with a computer.
Usually, in order to create a boat, you will need a mold to create the body. This Caracol’s 3D printer, with its robotic arms, directly shapes the sailboat without needing any mold. It is a very efficient process and the end product will be immediately ready for sailing after being polished.
Finally, thanks to 3D printing technology, we can turn old useless trash into new useful things like sailboats. Would you like to sail above the waves and enjoy the ocean on a 3D Printed sailboat?