Imagine being lost in a desert, hot and exhausted with the sun’s intense heat beating down on you. You find water, alas, but if only you had a nice cup to drink out of… Well, if you happen to bump into Markus Kayser, perhaps he will make a cup for you using his solar-powered 3D printer!
3D Printing via Sun & Sand
After successful creating his SunCutter, a solar powered “laser” cutting machine that is capable of burning designs through thin plywood, Markus set his sights on creating things using the sun and sand. The SolarSinter is a self-sufficient 3D printing machine that uses sand as a medium, and the sun to provide heat and electricity to melt the sand into 3D glass objects.
Sinter (sin’ter) v. Make (a powdered material) coalesce into a solid or porous mass by heating it (and usually also compressing it) without liquefaction.
There is some manual interaction required in order to use the SolarSinter. Unlike a traditional 3D printer where the medium is fed to the printer tip during the printing process, the SolarSinter focuses the sun’s energy onto a bed of sand, melting it into glass. The entire machine sits on rails and will automatically rotate to track the sun to focus it’s powerful light at the optimal angle. Photovoltaic panels power the on-board electronics to control various motors that adjust the positioning of the table, enabling movement in the X,Y and Z axes.
To set up the machine, you need to level off a layer of sand on the table to start the process. As each layer of sand is melted, you need to add another layer of sand on top of what was just melted, in order for the printer to create the next layer of the object. The whole process is quite mesmerizing to watch.
What this means for 3D printing
With the increasing popularity of 3D printers, it is becoming easier for the average person to afford their own personal 3D printer. And with 3D modeling tools like Google Sketchup, it is very easy for anyone to design and print their own 3D object. The Thing-O-Matic and the RepRap printer are two examples of low cost 3D printers readily available.
The SolarSinter takes it to the next level. It is a small manufacturing plant that costs nothing to produce products from, and creates no waste or byproduct in the process. All of the sand that is not used during a sintering can be reused to create the next object, or just put back on the ground. It harnesses the sun not only to melt the sand, but to create electricity to power the components. It’s absolutely incredible if you think about it.
My only question is, can it print out my Sketchup model?
Images and video courtesy of Markus Kayser Studio, UK. http://www.markuskayser.com
