One of the first ecological festivals in the Czech Republic in early September combined entertainment and inspiration. Musical performances by well-known artists, expert lectures and workshops, the announcement of this year’s winners of the E.ON Energy Globe ecological competition and a rich supporting programme – this was the first year of the Eon Ecofestival, and we couldn’t miss it.

At first glance, FDM 3D printing with plastic materials is not very environmentally friendly, but the specific use of the print plays a significant role in this issue. Decorative objects with no further use, which sooner or later become useless waste, do not give our industry a good reputation. That is why we have taken it upon ourselves to inspire the public to create practical objects with a higher added value and contribution to society. This doesn’t just have to be environmental and economic in the form of eco-friendly materials and cost savings. There is also a place for products that help people with health, mental, social or other disadvantages.

And we did a lot. In the PrusaLab zone in Kasárna Karlín we showed:

• Haptic models for blind people to ‘see’ book illustrations,
• a positionable brace for stretching shortened muscles in post-stroke patients,
• A sidewall stop for hospital beds, which eliminated a major shortcoming in the facility at minimal cost,
• Special equipment for playing the Paralympic discipline of boccia, designed for sportswomen with reduced mobility,
• Ruderal – a modular furniture system made from recycled materials for (not only) refugee and asylum centres,
• Experimental large format printing from recyclate using a robotic arm and pellet extruder
• and during the 3D printing basics workshop for visitors, we demonstrated the Original Prusa MK4 and Original Prusa XL five-head printers, using mostly recycled printer strings.