PrintGREEN with this 3D Printer

3D printing is going green, PrintGreen that is! Keep reading our blog to learn more about the latest development in the world of 3D-printed innovation!

The University of Maribor in Slovenia is the stage for the latest 3D-printed invention. After designing a “green” 3D printer in 2013, a group of students worked hard to turn 3D printers into on-demand gardeners through their creation of PrintGREEN.

The slogan that PrintGreen lives by is a twist on the old conservationist motto, “Think before you print,” and tells their audience to, in fact, “Print, because it is green.”

You might be wondering what makes PrintGREEN so environmentally friendly. If you were, we’re here to fill you in. This “green” invention is all about bringing together art, technology and nature into one, unified object.

The printer combines modern technology with an innovative approach by using a special CNC machine as a printing device. Rather than a canvas, PrintGREEN uses Styrodur, which is a print page that’s covered with black felt and reinforced with a sponge.

The “ink” that this printer uses is unlike any other ink. Rather than using and reusing recycled plastics that never fully degrade, PrintGreen’s ink will naturally degrade over time. The ink is actually made of a mixture of soil, water and seeds, the general ingredients that are used in typical gardens everywhere.

Once the organic ink is loaded, the printer then produces living prints of customized objects in a variety of shapes and sizes.

After the drying period, the muddy mixture holds its form and then begins to sprout grass from the organic material.

Check out these pictures straight from PrintGREEN’s website!

The end goal of PrintGREEN, as we mentioned before, is to fuse art and nature to creatively produce living designs through the assistance of modern technology. PrintGreen is all about creating a “living” design/print as it becomes green on its own!

Copyright Inventionland, 2015

Source:

https://print-green.org/