Here at 3D Rapid Print, one of the fastest growing 3D Printing companies in the Thames Valley, we like to keep abreast of the latest innovations in 3D printing.
3D printing has previously taken to seas, lakes and rivers with 3D printed canoes and kayaks. For example, in June 2017, at Germany’s 16th biennial concrete canoe regatta, the award for best design innovation went to the team from ETH Zurich for the third time in a row. The canoe was a collaboration between the university’s Digital Building Technologies (DBT) and the Physical Chemistry of Building Materials Group, using a technique called “free formwork” that DBT had developed. It involved FDM 3D printing a 0.8mm thick formwork made of PLA that could be used to make the skeleton of the canoe out of fibre-reinforced concrete. As a another example, the Paper Province of Karlstad, Sweden features Melker Kayaks of Hammarö, which makes “sustainable” kayaks with the largest 3D printer of its kind in the world; it runs off corn and wood pellets.
Circa March 2018, chemical company LEHVOSS Group of Hamburg, Germany, and as of December 2018 3D printing start-up OCore of Palermo, Italy, started making plans on how to 3D print the hull of a competitive sailboat. LEHVOSS Group created a customized material for the boat called LUVOCOM 3F PAHT CF, which is a is a carbon-fibre-reinforced polyamide made especially for 3D printing. The now-completed hull was recently unveiled during a ceremony at the sailing club Circolo della Vela Sicilia in Italy.
The sailboat, named the Mini 650, is 6.5 metres long and was designed for racing, particularly the Mini Transat Race of September 2019. Its hull and deck are both 3D printed. The race begins in France and finishes in Brazil, 4,000 miles away.
Incidentally, in September 2018, LEHVOSS Group unveiled a set of new 3D printing plastics to be showcased at the formnext and Fakuma 3D printing events. OCore’s technology focuses on materials such as carbon and glass-reinforced plastics.
3D printing is an amazing tool. It can grow your small business or start a mini revolution in an industry. Explore what it can do for you when you contact us today.
Disclaimer: Featured image of “Sailboat Racing At Hamilton Reach On The Brisbane River” is of Australian origin and is now in the public domain because its term of copyright has expired. It is nonetheless attributed to the John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, Australia.
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