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.
On February 4th 2021, multinational conglomerate General Electric (GE) of Boston, Massachusetts announced that GE Global Research of Niskayuna, New York would receive $14.3 million from DARPA over the next 4 years for GE Global Research’s AIR2WATER project. (DARPA is short for the United States Department of Defence’s Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency. GE Global Research is GE’s research and development division. AIR2WATER is short for Additively Manufactured, Integrated Reservoir To Extract Water using Adsorbents and Thermally-Enhanced Recovery.) GE proclaimed that their researchers would collaborate with scientists and engineers from the Universities of California at Berkeley, Chicago and South Alabama to develop a partly 3D printed compact and portable device that could produce clean and safe drinking water out of the air.
The AIR2WATER project is being done under DARPA’s Atmospheric Water Extraction program, which supports the development of small systems designed to reduce the risks and costs associated with delivering safe drinking water in humanitarian missions and to military troops in the field. The device is intended to work by combining special materials to absorb the air with a 3D printable heat exchanger, which would draw in heat over the absorbing materials to release the water.
GE intends the final product to be liftable by just 4 people and produce enough water each day for 150 troops. In addition, they hope that the project will contribute to addressing global water scarcity. (The World Wildlife Federation proclaims that 2.7 billion people worldwide experience water scarcity for at least 1 month of the year, with 1.1 billion people lacking any access to water at all.)
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 “ARTESIAN WATERPUMP – NARA – 544258” is a work of an Environmental Protection Agency employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As works of the U.S. federal government, all EPA images are in the public domain.
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