I enjoyed this short video about innovative architectural researchers/designers at UC Berkeley who’ve developed techniques for 3D printing all kinds of novel materials, toward making architectural elements (walls, cladding, etc.) out of them. They’re currently using things like sea salt, clay, ground up tires, etc.
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That’s something else! One of the guys over on the MakerGear forum put together a paste extruder setup for his printer (for clays) and did some neat things with that.
Takes such a long time to 3D print stuff though. Building an igloo would have taken some serious dedication.
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Wow, that’s amazing! My mind is racing just thinking about all of the things that a scientist might do with this technology. Anatase TiO2 walls that wick water to where sunlight creates hydroxyl radicals and breakdown organic and other air pollutants. Also wicking walls that cool a structure. Catalyst beds that not only have optimum shape for flow, but also ideal surfaces for reactions to occur. Architectural living hinges for earthquake proofing a structure. Or complex structures with photoelectric generation at all angles of sun exposure. Or structures incorporating " metamaterial" shapes tuned to either absorb or ideally repel infrared heat.
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Leave it to Berkeley to try to print with reusable substances. Great link, thanks!
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That’s what I’m talking about! Discussions can get so much more exciting when scientists bring their expertise.
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Wow. Such a great video. Love the possibilities of reusing old materials or using sustainable materials.
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I wish I was smarter to do stuff like easy 3D printed solar panels and desalinization objects.
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i’m sure someone could come up with a nifty design for a laser-cut evaporative desalination device;
A simple solar-still, or something more revolutionary!
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