The ability to print personal pizzas, paperweights of fetuses from an MRI scan, and working guns is creating a huge buzz around 3D printers.
Though the technology has been around since the ‘80s, the latest in 3D printing allows us to envision an object, send instructions to a machine and watch it form in front of our own eyes.
No need for a middleman. No need for an extra trip to the store.
Rewinding the process to the beginning, sustainability organizations, such as London-based techfortrade, see new potential to use 3D printing to reduce our carbon footprint. All we have to do is consider the way we collect and recycle the plastics used for one of the most common 3D printing techniques.
“There’s an opportunity to address an environmental issue,” said William Hoyle, CEO of techfortrade.
The fused deposition modeling process works similarly to using a hot-glue gun, laying melted plastic filaments until the final product is formed. Spools of threaded filament can be purchased from many online retailers, including eBay and Amazon.
But Hoyle’s vision is to create fair trade filaments, a similar concept to that of other common fair-trade products like coffee, sugar or chocolate.
