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 August 31st 2022, Formlabs of Somerville, Massachusetts spoke of a team of researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 3D printing parts for coral reef research and monitoring. These included sampler housings, jigs for experimental equipment and customised parts for their in-house aquaria. (The aquaria are built to study coral fitness and ways to enhance coral resilience in the conditions of a changing climate, including rising water temperatures.)
To identify characteristics of coral that would thrive in a more extreme marine environment, the team look for coral thriving under conditions expected in a more acidified ocean, like those near volcanic vents. To help analyse these corals’ living conditions, the team created an automated water sampler, such that 3D Printing reduced its material costs from almost $1,000 to just $220.
At the University of Miami’s Experimental Reef Lab, the team maintain multiple aquarium systems that simulate different conditions in reef environments. Each aquarium maintains control of several variables, including water acidity, temperature, flow rate and light intensity. The team automated the feeding of the corals by using feeders with a 3D printed housing, saving on labour and standardising when the corals were fed. Another 3D printed creation was a waterproof stir-plate housing, which was incorporated into a stir-plate design the team made with material costs of just $30. This was itself incorporated into an incubation chamber system to help measure the corals’ fitness.
The team’s results from field sampling and their aquaria help them understand how coral could survive in harsh conditions. They are also working to identify more resilient corals, as well as their mechanisms of resilience to help regrow reefs. In addition, the team make their tools open-source to spread awareness of their methods and results, while also bringing students from middle school through graduate school to their lab for educational sessions and tours.
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 “Divers install monitoring instruments on coral reef” is in the public domain in the United States because it only contains materials that originally came from the United States Geological Survey, an agency of the United States Department of the Interior.
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