Tag Archives: 3D printing

The $50 SHELL Treats Your Keys and Wallet as Things Worth Displaying

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Most entryway organizers fall somewhere between two unsatisfying extremes: purely functional things that look like afterthoughts, or purely decorative objects that don’t actually hold anything. Dump trays accumulate more clutter than they resolve, adhesive hooks pull paint off walls, and floating shelves become flat surfaces for miscellaneous junk. The first thing you see walking in and the last thing you grab heading out rarely looks the way it should.

The SHELL is built around a different idea. Rather than hiding your keys and wallet in a tray or box, it treats them as things worth displaying, giving them an architectural home on the wall that’s as thoughtful to look at as it is to use. It sits at the intersection of furniture design and everyday storage, and it pulls off both.

Designer: Divito Design

The name and look share the same logic. An open, structural frame with angular side geometry gives SHELL a wall presence that reads more architectural than decorative, and more purposeful than either. The hooks can be repositioned to accommodate whatever needs hanging that day: a set of car keys, a lanyard, a bag strap, or a jacket on the way out the door. It adapts rather than dictates.

Below the hooks, a lower shelf provides a dedicated landing spot for the smaller things that tend to disappear into pockets until you need them most. A wallet sits there in the same spot every night, as does a watch or whatever else rounds out your daily carry. A phone stand is also built into the design, which means one less separate accessory cluttering the wall nearby.

The SHELL is 3D-printed, which explains how the frame manages to look structurally complex while staying so lightweight. The open profile is a natural outcome of how it’s made, layer by layer, without solid walls or closed surfaces. For those who’d rather print their own, Divito also offers a $9.99 digital download of the files, optimized for desktop 3D printers.

Color customization is settled at the point of purchase for the ready-made version, which starts at $49.99. The frame comes in black, white, or gray, while the hooks can be ordered in any of those finishes or in red, letting the movable parts stand out or blend in as you see fit. It’s a small but smart option for something that lives on a wall permanently.

Installation is handled through wall anchors and wall marking studs included in the package, keeping the setup straightforward even for those who don’t usually reach for a drill. Divito designed SHELL for the spaces you pass through most often, and entryways are the obvious fit, but the same qualities that make it work at the door also serve a studio wall, a home office, or anywhere else where a little order wouldn’t go amiss.

Most entryways get far less design attention than a coat closet, even though they’re the first and last space you interact with every single day. SHELL finds a neat way around that problem by being the kind of object you actually want on the wall rather than something you’re willing to tolerate there. That’s a harder thing to get right than it looks.

The post The $50 SHELL Treats Your Keys and Wallet as Things Worth Displaying first appeared on Yanko Design.

This 3D-Printed Lamp Has a Shell That Opens and Closes to Shape Light

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The 3D printing community has spent years trying to prove that a printer can produce more than desk trinkets and cable organizers. Lighting has always been the harder sell, where aesthetics and function have to work together in ways that cheap plastic usually undermines. The better designers in that space have been quietly closing that gap, and the results are starting to look like things you’d want to live with.

OHR Design, a Canadian 3D printing studio, is a good example of what that progress looks like. Its Armadillo series takes inspiration from one of nature’s most recognizable shapes, the segmented, overlapping bands of the armadillo shell, and turns it into a lamp shade that adjusts depending on how much, or how little, light you want in a room. And it all started from a tea light holder.

Designer: OHR Design

The original Armadillo grew from an earlier OHR Design called the OHRB, and it’s since inspired a whole family of spin-offs. True to its origins, the Armadillo wraps a tea light in a series of concentric rings that tilt forward to close the shade down or pull back to widen it. At 240mm tall, it’s compact enough for a bedside table or a bookshelf without demanding much real estate.

For those who want the same aesthetic energy at a bigger scale, the Armadillo XL scales the concept up into a proper desk lamp. At 373.8mm tall and 283.9mm wide, it makes a statement on a desk without being overwhelming. It accepts a real light bulb rather than a tea light, making it far more practical for anyone who actually needs their lamp to pull its weight.

What gives both versions their character is the adjustable ring system. The segmented shade isn’t just decorative; opening and closing the rings changes how the light spreads through the room, softening the glow when the rings are fully open or concentrating it when they’re pulled shut. It’s the kind of thing that turns a simple on/off appliance into something you keep reaching over to tweak.

What’s equally interesting is how OHR Design sells these. You aren’t buying a finished lamp; you’re buying the STL files to print one yourself. The original Armadillo fits on a 180mm × 180mm print bed, making it accessible on smaller machines like the Prusa Mini or Bambu Lab A1 Mini. The Armadillo XL, being larger, requires a 256mm × 256mm build volume.

The filament choice is entirely yours, which means the lamp can be as neutral or as bold as you want. OHR Design has been spotted using Overture’s Super PLA+ in various colors, from muted naturals to vivid hues, all of which change how the diffused light reads. Not many lamps invite you to physically shape the light they cast, and fewer still can be reimagined entirely based on the color spool you have on hand. The Armadillo family puts creative control squarely in the hands of whoever prints it, and that’s a genuinely refreshing place to land.

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Rotary Tools Can Damage Fine Details, HOZO’s 13,000 SPM Micro Sander Cleanly Sands 3D Prints and Miniatures

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Scroll through any Gunpla forum, 3D printing subreddit, or miniature painting Discord, and you’ll find the same complaint surfacing like clockwork: detail sanding is the worst part of the hobby. Rotary tools spin too aggressively and melt plastic. Orbital sanders are physically too large to reach the spots that matter. And hand sanding with tiny strips of sandpaper taped to popsicle sticks or wrapped around toothpicks? It works, technically, in the same way that crossing an ocean in a rowboat technically works. Makers have been hacking together solutions for this problem forever, modifying dental picks, repurposing nail files, spending hours on finishing work that should take minutes. The tooling industry, meanwhile, has mostly responded by miniaturizing existing designs and hoping for the best. Smaller orbital. Smaller rotary. Same fundamental problems, just in a tinier package.

HOZO’s NeoSander takes a different route entirely. Rather than shrinking down a tool that was never meant for fine detail work, HOZO went back to the core question of what precision sanding actually requires and built around the answer. The result is a palm-sized, cordless reciprocating sander powered by a patented linear motor that delivers 13,000 strokes per minute of direct, gear-free motion, paired with a system of 8 swappable head shapes and 8 sandpaper grits that covers everything from rough shaping to mirror-smooth finishing. It’s the kind of purpose-built approach that makes you wonder why it took this long for someone to try it.

Designer: HOZO

Click Here to Buy Now: $69 $99 ($30 off). Hurry, only 291/2000 left! Raised over $2.2 million.

HOZO moves away from the traditional drivetrain; NeoSander’s vertically mounted reciprocating linear motor sends power straight to the tip with zero intermediary conversion from rotational to linear energy. That directness pays off in concentricity under 0.05mm, which in plain terms means the sanding head tracks true instead of wobbling like a bobblehead at speed. Competing sanders sit at 0.30mm or worse, and that difference is the gap between sanding where you intend and accidentally eating into a surface you just spent two hours painting.

The NeoSander holds a constant 13,000 SPM and lets you dial the stroke length between 0.6mm and 1.8mm, rather than using variable RPM that changes the tool’s rhythm and makes behavior harder to predict. Shorter strokes for delicate edges on resin prints, longer strokes when you’re leveling a seam line on a 1/100 scale kit. That translates to a linear speed range of 260 to 780 mm/s, giving you meaningful control over aggressiveness without the tool ever feeling inconsistent under your fingers. A counterweight inside the body moves opposite to the sanding head too, canceling out 85% of handle vibration, which matters enormously during the kind of 30-minute sanding sessions that detail work demands.

Eight sanding head shapes cover pointed tips for crevices, slim and wide flats for panel lines and broad surfaces, half-cylinders and arcs for curved geometry, and acute and right-angle heads for corners and recesses. Pair those with eight grits from coarse 180 all the way to 1500 for polishing, and you have up to 74 possible combinations when you factor in the optional foam-backed sandpapers that conform to irregular surfaces. A color-coded rack keeps everything sorted by grit so you’re not playing guessing games mid-session. HOZO also threw in two saw blades, a curved blade for rough cuts and a jigsaw blade for through-cuts, because the same reciprocating motion that sands also drives a 0.2mm micro-tooth saw with a patented anti-binding pattern.

The whole thing weighs 89 grams (3.13 oz) without a head attached, measures 104 x 53 x 28mm, and runs on a 3.7V 1,100 mAh battery that delivers 45 minutes of heavy use or up to 240 minutes of lighter work. The aluminum alloy and magnesium shell carries an IP54 splash rating, so wet sanding is on the table. Dock charging takes 30 minutes to full, and USB-C keeps things universal. HOZO has shipped eight successful products through Kickstarter before this, including the NeoBlade ultrasonic cutter, and they’ve built out companion tools like the NeoBlock for flat-surface sanding that pair with the NeoSander for a complete finishing workflow.

The NeoSander Pro starts at $69 (against a $99 MSRP) and includes the sander, a basic sanding head set, sandpaper kit, and a carrying case. The Premium Combo, priced at $129, comes with multicolor-coded heads, a saw collection, and a charging dock. For the deep-end makers, the $499 Maker Pro All-In Combo bundles the NeoSander, NeoBlock, and NeoBlade with their full accessory suites at 39% off retail. The campaign runs on Kickstarter with an estimated shipping date of May 2026.

Click Here to Buy Now: $69 $99 ($30 off). Hurry, only 291/2000 left! Raised over $2.2 million.

The post Rotary Tools Can Damage Fine Details, HOZO’s 13,000 SPM Micro Sander Cleanly Sands 3D Prints and Miniatures first appeared on Yanko Design.

This Reciprocating Detail Sander Works on Detailed Projects like Gundam Kits, Wood, and Jewelry

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Cleaning up 3D prints, model kits, or small woodworking projects usually means fighting tools that are not really built for it. Rotary tools dig in and melt plastic, big sanders cannot reach corners, and endless hand-sanding sessions leave your fingers numb. The last 10% of a project, the fine details, often takes 90% of the time because the tools are fighting you instead of helping, turning what should be a satisfying finish work into a slow grind.

NeoSander is a mini electric reciprocating detail sander built specifically for that last 10%. It is palm-sized, cordless, and powered by a high-speed reciprocating linear motor that drives the sanding head directly at up to 13,000 strokes per minute. Instead of being a shrunken version of a big sander or a repurposed rotary tool, it starts from the question of what fine sanding actually needs: tight, controlled, straight-line motion with minimal vibration and maximum access to awkward spots.

Designer: HOZO

Click Here to Buy Now: $69 $99 ($30 off). Hurry, only a few left!

The usual reciprocating design relies on a spinning motor, gears, rods, and linkages that convert rotation into back-and-forth motion. NeoSander’s vertical linear motor pushes the head directly, which means fewer moving parts, less energy lost in the drivetrain, and faster response when you change speed. The stroke length is adjustable from 0.6 to 1.8 mm, so you can dial in tiny, precise taps for delicate edges or longer, faster strokes for leveling and shaping thicker material. As the one and only palm-sized detail sander to achieve a true 13,000 SPM linear motor, NeoSander introduces life-changing technology and delivers a game-changing breakthrough for creators who demand precision in tight, intricate spaces, permanently solving a pain point that rotary tools and other reciprocating sanders have struggled with for decades.

NeoSander’s straight-line motion covers more area efficiently while keeping the workpiece safe from gouges. At 13,000 strokes per minute, it is fast, but the motion is tight and controlled, so it does not kick back like a rotary bit or eat into fragile prints and resin parts. Stepless speed control lets you push forward for low speed and pull back for full speed, giving pinpoint accuracy on fragile edges and more aggressive removal when you are shaping parts that need heavy correction.

The front end is where the system gets smart. Eight interchangeable sanding heads handle different shapes, pointed tips for crevices, slim and wide flats for edges and planes, half-cylinders and arcs for curves, and acute and right angles for corners. Pair that with eight grits of sandpaper, from rough 180-grit to fine 1,500-grit, including foam-layer sheets that flex to irregular surfaces. A color-coded storage block keeps head-and-grit combos sorted, so you can grab, snap, and keep working instead of playing peel-and-stick roulette between every pass.

The same back-and-forth motion that sands also drives a tiny reciprocating saw. Swap to a curved saw blade or jigsaw-style blade, and you can cut sprues, trim parts, or slice small pieces of wood and plastic without changing tools. The 0.2 mm micro teeth use a wave-shaped, double-tooth pattern and an anti-binding design that clears dust as it cuts, making passes smoother and less likely to jam mid-stroke. It turns NeoSander into a dual-purpose tool for both cleanup and small fabrication tasks.

NeoSander feels light in the hand, a 3.13 oz aluminum-alloy shell with a dustproof silicone cover and IP54 splashproof rating, small enough to guide with fingertips. Inside, a counterweight moves opposite the sanding head to cancel most vibration, so your grip stays steady instead of buzzing. The cordless design uses a 3.7 V, 1,100 mAh battery with dock charging, giving around 45 minutes of heavy-duty use or up to 240 minutes of lighter work between 30-minute charges, which is enough for multiple sessions without tethering to a cable.

A tool like this changes the rhythm of making. Instead of dreading the cleanup phase, you have a small, precise machine that can sneak into tight spots, swap heads and grits without breaking flow, and even handle tiny cuts when you need them. For people who live in the world of miniatures, prints, and fine edges, NeoSander feels less like a gadget and more like the missing link between rough shaping and the moment a piece finally looks finished, where the details stop feeling like tedious cleanup and start feeling like the reason you made the thing in the first place. Novices and casual makers will appreciate the accessibility and beginner-friendly NeoSander Pro kit at $69, while those who really want to take their designs to the next level will want to grab the $129 NeoSander Premium Kit, which adds accessories like multi-color sanding heads, saw heads, and a charging dock on top of the basic set.

Click Here to Buy Now: $69 $99 ($30 off). Hurry, only a few left!

The post This Reciprocating Detail Sander Works on Detailed Projects like Gundam Kits, Wood, and Jewelry first appeared on Yanko Design.

Finally, You Can 3D-Print Real Silicone Molds and Gaskets on Your Prusa 3D Printer

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Anyone who’s worked with flexible 3D printing filaments knows their limitations; TPU and TPE only go so far, and nothing on the desktop market has matched the heat resistance and elasticity of real silicone. We’ve been stuck making parts that feel rubbery but fail the moment they get too warm or need to seal properly. That’s all changed with the arrival of Prusa’s new XL printhead, developed in collaboration with Filament2. This toolhead uses a pioneering dual-filament system to produce actual, industrial-grade silicone prints, a feat that moves desktop printing into a whole new category of material science.

Instead of extruding a simple thermoplastic, this system feeds two liquid-core filaments into the nozzle, where their outer sheaths are stripped away. The liquid silicone components are then mixed and cured in real time as they are deposited. This is not some rubber-like substitute; it is genuine silicone with all its useful properties, created right on the print bed of a standard Prusa XL. The elegance of containing the entire two-part mixing process within a clean, self-contained filament and toolhead system is a massive engineering win, solving the mess and complexity that has kept liquid printing out of reach for most people until now.

Designer: Prusa

This method completely sidesteps the need for the clumsy pumps and reservoirs seen in previous experimental liquid printers. The genius is in the filament itself. By encasing the two liquid parts in a stable sheath, Filament2 has created something that handles just like a standard spool of PLA. The printhead does the heavy lifting, performing a micro-scale version of what you would do with a two-part epoxy, but with incredible precision. You get the benefits of a reactive polymer without the hazardous mess, which opens up a world of possibilities for creating functional, end-use parts, not just look-alike prototypes.

Think about the immediate applications for this technology. In the automotive world, the ability to print custom, one-off silicone gaskets, seals, and vibration dampeners is a game changer for restoration and prototyping. No more waiting weeks for a custom mold or settling for a close-enough part. For product designers, this means creating truly functional prototypes with soft-touch grips, flexible waterproof seals, and even custom ergonomic components for wearables. Because silicone is skin-safe and can be sterilized, it also opens up possibilities for custom medical models and assistive devices. We are talking about end-use parts, not just look-alike models.

The choice to launch this on the Prusa XL platform is also incredibly clever. The XL’s main selling point is its automatic tool-changing capability, which suddenly makes it the perfect machine for true multi-material fabrication. You could print a rigid nylon housing with one toolhead, then have the printer automatically swap to the silicone head to print integrated waterproof seals and vibration-dampening feet onto the same part in a single, uninterrupted job. This elevates the machine from a multi-color printer to a genuine multi-property manufacturing station. It’s a level of automation and material integration that was previously reserved for machines costing tens of thousands of dollars.

Now, it’s important to keep expectations grounded. This will not be as simple or cheap as printing with standard PLA. The specialized filament from Filament2 will undoubtedly carry a premium price, and I anticipate a learning curve. The process requires incredible precision; any imbalance in the mixing ratio or inconsistency in the liquid cores could lead to failed prints where the silicone doesn’t cure properly. We still need to see long-term reliability data and learn about the maintenance requirements for a printhead that handles what are essentially reactive adhesives. Still, even as a niche application, it pushes the entire industry forward by showing what’s possible when you rethink the entire printing process, from the filament spool to the nozzle tip.

The post Finally, You Can 3D-Print Real Silicone Molds and Gaskets on Your Prusa 3D Printer first appeared on Yanko Design.

Robotic Open-source Scale Dress Printed by ELEGOO Neptune 4 Series: 3D Printing in Fashion

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3D printing has revolutionized the design industry by making it easier to prototype ideas quickly and efficiently. This technology allows designers to experiment with new concepts without the high costs traditionally associated with prototyping. As a result, executing designs has become more affordable and accessible, opening up new avenues for creativity. Beyond design, 3D printing is now breaking into other industries, including fashion, with trailblazers like ELEGOO leading the charge.

ELEGOO is not just a pioneer in 3D printing but also in empowering women to use technology to turn their ideas into reality. One prime example is an innovative robotic and modular dress system that will showcase the potential of 3D printing in fashion, inspiring a new wave of creators. This initiative highlights how 3D printing is transforming the fashion industry, offering unprecedented opportunities for innovation and expression.

Designer: Anouk Wipprecht

Click Here to Buy Now: $209.99 $275 (23% off). Hurry, deal ends in 48-hours!

Anouk Wipprecht and the Scale Dress: Futuristic Fashion

Anouk Wipprecht, a visionary Dutch FashionTech Designer and Engineer, has partnered with ELEGOO to push the boundaries of fashion technology. She has developed a new modular system for integrating motors into fabrics, revolutionizing how garments can interact with the wearer and environment. This collaboration marks a significant leap in the fusion of fashion and technology, showcasing the endless possibilities of innovative design.

The “Scale Dress” is a groundbreaking creation from this collaboration, representing a futuristic approach to fashion. This robotic, open-source dress comprises multiple 3D-printed mechanical parts, each equipped with tiny servo motors. These motors animate the dress, creating dynamic movements around the body. Ingeniously, the mechanism is sandwiched between fabric layers, with its round shape evenly distributing weight to prevent sagging or imbalance.

The Scale Dress not only captivates with its moving elements but also serves as a modular, open-source template for aspiring designers. Anouk Wipprecht has ensured that the design is accessible to those interested in robotic fashion. The servo-arms can be interchanged to hold various elements, addressing the challenge of integrating electronics with fabric and creating lifelike movements.

To empower others to explore this innovative realm, Anouk has open-sourced the Scale Dress design on her Instructables page. In collaboration with ELEGOO, she provides a detailed step-by-step guide on creating your own robotic dress with moving parts. The guide focuses on utilizing 9g servo arms, enabling creators to experiment and personalize their designs with ease.

This initiative not only highlights the potential of 3D printing and robotics in fashion but also encourages a new generation of designers to embrace technology. By sharing her knowledge and tools, Anouk Wipprecht is paving the way for more innovative and interactive fashion creations, inspiring others to explore the intersection of technology and design.

ELEGOO With Her: Empowering the Next Generation of Women Creators

The “ELEGOO With Her” program is a remarkable initiative aimed at equipping more women and girls with 3D printing skills. And the debut of the Scale Dress marks the official launch of the program, followed by a roundtable featuring prominent female designers at Formnext 2024 in Frankfurt, the largest 3D Printing Fair in Europe. This will kick off the initiative that aims not just to revolutionize the 3D printing industry but also fashion tech.

From November 19, 2024, to February 5, 2025, ELEGOO will recruit 30 women and girls for its empowerment program, providing them with 3D printers, software support, and mentorship. Participants will benefit from two months of online courses and workshops, culminating in a showcase of their work in April. This program is a testament to ELEGOO’s commitment to fostering diversity and innovation in the tech industry, empowering women to become leaders in 3D printing.

ELEGOO Neptune 4 Series: Unleashing Creativity in Fashion Design

The Scale Dress, designed for the FashionTech field, utilizes 3D-printed mechanical parts created with the ELEGOO Neptune 4 series 3D printers. The Neptune 4 series’ intelligent printing capabilities make it an ideal tool for blending technology and fashion. By enabling intricate designs and seamless integration of mechanical parts, this printer is a catalyst for innovation in FashionTech, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the industry.

This fusion of 3D printing technology and fashion is opening up new horizons for creativity and innovation. With pioneers like ELEGOO leading the way, the potential for groundbreaking designs and empowering diverse creators is limitless. As 3D printing continues to evolve, its impact on fashion and beyond will undoubtedly shape the future of design.

Click Here to Buy Now: $209.99 $275 (23% off). Hurry, deal ends in 48-hours!

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3D-printed chairs are made from 100% recycled plastic from donation program

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3D-printed furniture is still not as common as regular furniture but we’re seeing a lot of movement when it comes to designs and concepts. Aside from the fact that it’s easy to adapt this in actual production, it can also be sustainable and eventually impactful. Most of these 3D-printing concepts try to create something that’s recyclable or made from recycled materials therefore making it more sustainable than regular furniture.

Designer: Ethan Solodukhin

The Revo Chair Concept, with Revo meaning “revolutionary”, is a collection of 3D-printed furniture and is powered by the PlastiVista Atelier program. The program actually encourages homes, schools, and communities to donate their plastic waste and those that can be used for 3D printing converted into filament. The collection includes the Revo Chair and the Stoool (yes that’s not a typo). They are made from 100% recycled plastic.

The Revo Chair uses a single-piece design and it can serve as both an actual chair but when used with a different orientation, it can also serve as storage. The photos show it’s a box-like storage although it’s not really shown how it can be turned into that although the surfaces can be something you can place objects on. The Stoool meanwhile just serves as a seat with its compact surface, although you can probably also use it as a side table if you want to.

The renders of these chairs reminds me of those small, plastic phone holders that you can get for cheap. The question of course for these 3D-printed chairs would be if they are durable enough and comfortable enough for people to sit in for a long period of time.

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3D printed chess pawns transform into queens thanks to magnets and springs

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Chess is a game that has existed for centuries, and it hasn’t really changed much during that time, especially in recent decades. The rules of the game are pretty much the same, which includes “power-ups” that were invented way before the term even showed up in video games. Of course, these moves don’t require any special piece outside of what’s already included in the entire set, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do anything to spruce it up.

This rather elaborate 3D printed design, for example, solves the practical problem of how to represent a pawn that has reached the opposite end and “evolved” into a queen. Sure, you can just try to remember which is which, but wouldn’t it be easier if you had spare queen pieces instead? Better yet, why not just literally evolve the pawn instead, keeping the chess set simple, relatively?

Designer: Works By Design

“Queening” is what happens when a pawn is crowned and gains the queen’s large movement powers when it reaches the opposite end of the board. In some cases, when your queen has already been captured, you can simply swap out the pieces. But what if your queen is still there or, by some stroke of luck, you have two pawns that become queens?

This form-changing pawn is one solution that utilizes 3D printing, springs, magnets, and a rather complicated internal design. The challenge was to take a regular-sized pawn and have it not only expand to the size of a queen but also exhibit its features, particularly its flared crown. If you’ve ever watched Transformers, then you might get the idea more or less.

The design underwent several iterations, particularly with the spring mechanism that holds the pieces together and then pushes them out to expand. In the end, the simpler version won out, though the final pawn size was definitely larger than normal. Fortunately, it still fits within international standards, so it probably won’t be contested in an official match.

The 3D-printed pawn uses magnets in its feet to trigger the expansion mechanism, so placing it on any metal surface, like the back row of this custom-made chess board, would make it spring into action, so to speak. It’s definitely a convoluted design for a rather simple problem, but it also adds a bit of excitement and thrill to the game, becoming a goal of its own in addition to actually winning the match.

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3D Printed lamps made from cornstarch plastic exude cute candy-like vibes

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3D printing has truly revolutionized the design and production industry, giving anyone the power to create almost any form they can think of. That revolution, however, came at a price to the environment, increasing the use of plastic material even further. Thankfully, there has been some significant pushback and changes in this young industry, as different kinds of material become printer-compatible, including food, metal, or even wood. There are even attempts at using alternative source materials for plastic, like this playful 3D-printed lamp that uses a base that you might have never thought of: corn starch.

Designers: Alexandre Touguet, Lise Rissel

Of the many types of materials used for 3D printing, PLY or polylactic acid plastic is one of the most popular. Unlike most plastics that are made from petroleum, this thermoplastic uses organic material, in this case, corn starch. This gives PLA a more sustainable character, although sometimes minimally so. It is biodegradable, but only under specific conditions that aren’t always easy to meet naturally.

It’s still a step in the right direction, nonetheless, especially since it opens the doors to more interesting designs when used in 3D printing. ALT Light is one such example, using 3D printing to bring not only light but also a joyful atmosphere to any space. Although its design might be possible to execute using traditional manufacturing processes and harmful plastic, the product demonstrates the economic and environmental benefits of a more sustainable approach to design and production centered around 3D printing.

ALT Light starts from the bottom with a normal rectangular block, if you could call a block with vertical ridges “normal” in the first place. As you lift your eyes, higher, you are the block seems to flare open, creating the semblance of a traditional conical lampshade. It stops halfway through this transformation, though, creating a sense of instability and dynamism simply through forms, as if the lampshade is trying to break free from its confines.

The lamp can come in different combinations of colors for the base and the lampshade. The transparent top gives it a jelly-like appearance, while the translucent version is like hard candy. The ribbed surface does more than just make the forms look interesting, they also create an interplay of light and shadow that mesmerizes the viewers. In addition to their unique designs, these lamps are all made in order to cut down on material waste, and each creation has minute imperfections that give each ALT Light lamp its own unique character.

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Leftover date seeds become 3D printer filaments to enable sustainable creations

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3D printers revolutionized the manufacturing and design industries, enabling almost anyone to bring their ideas to life and iterate over designs quickly. Unfortunately, this flood of creativity also resulted in a surge in the use of plastic, specifically the thermoplastics used as filaments for fused deposit modeling or FDM 3D printers. Even the more sustainable PLA type of filament is only biodegradable under very specific conditions, so there is a dire need for more eco-friendly but accessible alternatives. This particular idea tries to harness and reuse the equally growing volume of food waste that we throw away, particularly fruit seeds that really serve no other purpose unless they’re planted again.

Designer: Nawa Tek

Dates are a very popular fruit, especially in Middle Eastern countries like Oman that produce and process tonnes of the fruit yearly. But like many fruits, only the flesh of dates is consumed, and the seeds or pits are simply discarded. These are biodegradable, of course, but they only decompose after a certain period of time, resulting in tonnes of garbage taking up space and potentially polluting waters as well. You can also plant some of the seeds but not all can be used this way.

Playing on the word for date pits and “repeat,” RePit is an emerging technology that puts these previously unusable food waste to better use. Rather than simply reusing the pits as they are, which could bring other complications like longevity and durability, the seeds instead becoming the foundations for a completely new material, one that can be woven into 3D printed products. In other words, what would have become garbage is ultimately transformed into art object, machine parts, and more.

In a nutshell, crushed date pits are mixed with limestone and clay to create a water-resistant composite material that is not unlike traditional Iranian “sarooj” that’s used for building houses. The composite is then transformed into filaments compatible with FDM 3D printers to create any shape imaginable, at least in theory. For a demonstration, decorative tiles were 3D printed and then fired and glazed to give them a ceramic-like appearance.

RePit is still a work in progress and it’s one of the growing number of sustainable 3D printing filaments being researched and developed today. The 3D printing industry has already expanded to support materials like metal, wood, and even chocolate, so it’s only proper that a more environment-friendly and long-lasting option is also developed, preferably one that embraces a circular economy that also reduces the waste we heap on landfills.

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