Bringing Accessible Innovation to Mission Areas

Dutch Defense and Research Institute, TNO, had been looking for a solution for recycling plastic waste.  They came to 3devo because it met their need for a total-concept recycling solution. After realizing the best location for their recycling efforts, TNO sent their 3devo unit to mission area Camp Castor, in Mali. The set-up in Mali consists of the shredder, which grinds plastic waste such as bottles and caps into small granulates, and a filament maker, which melts the granulates into filament suitable for 3d printers. 

Portable Experimentation

What appealed to TNO the most about 3devo, was the fact that these were not stationary factory machines, but rather desktop models that offered the convenience of portability. Prior to the use of the 3devo extruder, sustainable experimentation could only take place in laboratories. Now having the right tools, they have taken research into their own hands on base.  The desktop-sized devices have allowed Dutch soldiers to be self-sufficient in taking charge over their own recycling projects.

" We purposefully wanted to go to a mission area, so that we could experience what p roblems would arise in practice. " - Bart Zwiep , Innovation Manager at TNO

Bart has been an advocate for incorporating 3d printing within the field.  Having these technologies enables the camp to react faster to the constantly changing environment of live missions.

For some time now the Dutch Military has been using 3D printers as a solution for immediate fixes. It was only last June 2018, when 3devo machines were introduced to assist them with repurposing the amount of plastic they have consumed – which has helped them tremendously. On average, approximately 5 water bottles are used each day per person. That might not seem like much, but that equates up to 300 kilos of plastic waste per day. Even though Camp Castor produces about 300 kilos of plastic waste a day, their end goal is to recycle a large portion of it. Prior to the addition of 3devo,  the waste would be transported and incinerated. But now, because of the tools, they are able to process the raw material into filament compatible with 3D printers.

Sustainability Taking a Role in Innovation

In Castor, the plastic waste stream is typically clean plastic bottles.  This type of plastic and the condition it’s in is considered to be easy to recycle. The initial step of recycling, especially for the use of 3D printing, is experimenting. Starting off small, the first 3D prints with recycled materials have been simple items such as iPad holders and miniature chairs. These prints might seem trivial, but it has only been the first couple of steps of testing before jumping into larger projects. Recycling is always thought about but hardly ever pushed, but after using 3devo as a solution, recycling projects have been implemented instantly. Having this setup has allowed sustainability to play a huge role in innovation.