One of the first environmental festivals in the Czech Republic combined entertainment and inspiration at the beginning of September. Musical performances by well-known personalities, expert lectures and workshops, the announcement of this year's winners of the E.ON Energy Globe environmental competition and a rich accompanying programme – that was the first edition The Eco-festival Season, which we simply couldn't miss either.
FDM 3D printing, which uses plastic materials, does not look overly ecological at first glance, but the specific use of printing plays a significant role in this regard. Decorative items without any further use that sooner or later turn into useless waste do not truly bring our industry a good reputation. We have therefore set ourselves the goal of inspiring the public to create practical items with higher added value and benefit to society. This does not only have to be ecological and economic in the form of eco-friendly materials and cost savings. Products that help the medically, mentally, socially, or otherwise disadvantaged also have their place here.
And we showed a really great deal. In the PrusaLab zone at Karlín Barracks, we demonstrated:
- Haptic models for the blind, thanks to which they can „look at“ book illustrations,
- adjustable splint for stretching shortened muscles in patients after a stroke,
- hospital bed side rail stop, which, at minimal cost, eliminated a major flaw in this device,
- special sports equipment for playing the Paralympic sport of boccia, made to measure for a female athlete with reduced mobility,
- ruderal – modular furniture system made from recycled materials (not only) for refugee centres and homeless shelters,
- experimental large-format printing from recycled material using a robotic arm and a pellet extruder
- and during the 3D printing basics workshop for visitors, we showcased the Original Prusa MK4 and the five-head Original Prusa XL printers, on which we printed mainly using recycled filaments.
