There’s a certain nautical feel to this morning at Euromold, which considering we’re about 450km from the sea seems a little odd, so far we’ve spoken to a man about fishing bait, sat at a beach bar under a lighthouse and been told about a new very ocean related Filament.
LeFabShop - you know the French 3D Printing firm that strapped a Replicator 2 to the back of an electric car and drove around the streets of Versailles printing parts? – has announced a brand new, eco-friendly filament, made from seaweed. Yes you read that correctly 3D printing filament for a desktop 3D printer made from conglobulated marine algae.
We spoke to commercial director Philippe Kervizic this morning who told us that the product has been in development for some time now and can be expected in the first quarter of 2014.
Philippe, who was stood next to a Replicator 2, said that the filament is “very similar to PLA” in its uses. The filament is being produced in partnership with Algo Pack who have been working on algae alternatives to plastic for some time.
This could be a revelation for those that see 3D printing as the eco-friendly future. If we were able to make parts from naturally occurring algae, parts that “require no water, no pesticides or fertilizers to grow,” Then this could be a revelation in 3D printing.
For more information on the seaweed filament or “SWF” visit the leFabShop website.
