Need something 3D printed in clay? Something very large? If so you’ll want to check out the WASP project from Italy.
WASP is actually an acronym, standing for World’s Advanced Saving Project. Their goal is to be able to build homes in third world countries with advanced technology like 3D printing, yet use only locally available materials to do so – that’s where the clay comes in.
We observed several of their machines in operation, ranging from very small combo 3D printer/metal mills to incredibly tall delta 3D printers capable of producing items as tall as you! At the top you’ll see their largest clay 3D printer, a delta machine. Here you see the graduation of previous machines they’ve made so far. They plan to produce ever-larger machines until they are fully capable of 3D printing actual homes. And it looks like they’ll be able to do so: they now plan a machine 10m high and 5m wide.
The machine prints a low cost clay mixture (it’s mixed with locally available fibers). The clay is mixed in an external unit (shown here) and then pushed into the extruder with an auger embedded in the material pipe.
We’re told they have sold three of these machines in Italy. More and larger to come.
Via WASP Project
