Combining his interest for sustainability and tools, product designer Beer Holthuis has created the paper pulp printer capable of 3D printing with recycled paper.
Stating how 80kg of paper waste is produced annually per person, Holthuis says that he created the paper pulp printer in order to help reduce paper waste and develop a sustainable method of 3d printing.
“There is a growing market for 3D printing on demand. Printing your own designs, or from an existing model library, is widely accessible these days,” said Holthuis. “The print material is almost always plastic, besides some expensive exceptions. I was surprised there are no real sustainable materials used in 3D printing.”
“Sustainable materials in 3D-printing are very scarce,” Holthuis told Dezeen. “3D-printing with paper could have a big impact on the 3D-printing world, there is a lot of waste in this industry – most models are printed to communicate something and are often thrown away afterwards.”
Only requiring a minimal amount of natural binder, the 3D printer is able to create a product then recycle the paper pulp for use in another product.
“The print speed is relatively fast and the material very cheap, it makes this technique very suitable for large prints – think of custom furniture or luxury packaging,” said Holthuis.
“The design of the printed objects are using the possibilities and beauty of this technique. The tactile experience, bold lines and print speed results in distinctive shapes. The objects are also durable: Printed paper is surprisingly strong.”
Holthuis has also announced plans to develop a consumer version of the paper pulp printer.
“More research can be done to improve the recipe of the mixture which will affect the print results and which will make the machine easier to work with,” said Holthuis. “My goal is to make it easy, so kids at school can recycle their own paper with this type of machine.”
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