UK Charity Recycling Equipment Into 3D Printers
UK Charity Techfortrade is doing something quite astounding and massively pivotal to the circular economy, the e-waste issue and technology in the emerging world.
They are trying to develop software that allows for a process of recycling equipment, such as e-waste components, into 3D printers, which in turn, will help build necessary items in the developing world. The technology will be free to use, and the charity hopes it can have a huge effect.
Recycling equipment like mobile phones, old computers, printers, photocopiers and fax machines (to any young readers, they were like giant image messaging machines; google it). We’ve reported before on the astounding amount of e-waste going on in the world, and our friends at Plastic Expert have reported on two of the largest e-waste dumps in the world, Agbogbloshie and Guiyu. Both articles are well worth reading. Hundreds of millions of pounds worth of valuable equipment is being destroyed, when it could be recycled.
Recycling equipment should be quite simple, as a great deal of the parts in our devices are interchangeable and made from important and useful materials. Engineers can apply these components into new machines that will help social and economic development where it is needed.
Back in 2011, William Hoyle founded Techfortrade after seeing trucks moving from Zambia to the Democratic Republic of Congo and believed that were would be scope for 3D printing to make the system more efficient. With the boom in the 3D printing industry, applying plastic filaments to the technology is becoming more useful than printing chess pieces, it is bringing hope and opportunity.
African Universities are educating engineers who will be able to do amazing things with 3D printing, but don’t have access to the resources and equipment. Recycling equipment into 3D printers could help a new generation of Africans solve many issues that they don’t have the infrastructure to tackle currently.
The idea of Techfortrade should allow the cost of the 3D printer, built of e-waste components and recycled plastic, and the cost of recycled PET filament to be reduced to almost 10% it’s usual cost. The project has begin in Kenya and Tanzania as a test to see if it is functional and sustainable, teaching the locals how to built the printers with the help of a welder.