WASP 3D Printer Lets Anyone Create Giant Objects

The company that unveiled the world’s largest 3D printer that could print houses out of clay and mud is back again. This time, World’s Advanced Saving Project (WASP) has developed a new line of printers, that can create large objects, but for everyday use, to appeal to the maker community.

The printers are capable of printing pieces 3 feet x 3 feet in diameter and can be custom-built to accommodate users’ needs.

During the course of development, WASP needed to overcome challenges such as printing wires, which it combated with a nozzle that had an output range of 4 to 10 millimeters in diameter. Another challenge involved cutting costs, which the company tackled by by developing an extruder that works directly with the granule.

On its way WASP had to face and overcome a number of problems, the first of which concerned the print wires. If printing of large objects, in fact, it is unthinkable to use normal wires, of less than one millimeter in diameter. It would take days and days of printing to obtain the desired result. Therefore WASP has realized a nozzle provided with an output ranging from 4 to 10 millimeters in diameter.

What it came up with was a printer capable of printing approximately ten pounds of material in eight hours — achieving what is still the goal of 3D printing: “to enable anyone to create personalized products on request and affordable.”

The first items the team printed with the 3m-high Delta WASP Pellet were a line of chairs.

“We are very proud of our results and we expect further evolution” said Massimo Moretti, WASP founder. “We’re materializing a new model of development based on common knowledge.”

This printer is set to reach stores soon so that anyone interested in creating their own furniture can take part.  WASP believes that its latest printer is in keeping with the classic maker culture: allowing makers “to realize standard objects that normally require expensive tools.”

Story via WASP.