An app to customize your new Tanaruz electric 3D printed yacht

The Tanaruz 3D printed boat project by RAW Idea is beginning to take form. We have to admit we were very skeptical of this project, which promises a customized, fully 3D printed yacht available to anyone on demand (at a fair price). And the route to a real, tested and fully compliant product is still a long one. But the project is proceeding and it looks increasingly interesting, though still far from commercial reality.

The Netherlands-based company looks to create a more sustainable, efficient, and innovative future for the shipbuilding industry. Raw idea plans to 3D print its custom boats from recycled polypropylene polymers, using pre-industrial waste material. More specifically they are made of reclaimed polypropylene (PP) with 30% glass fibre. This combination of materials has excellent mechanical properties such as elongation strain of up to 5%, and is high chemically, heat and fire resistant. The use of recyclable PP emphasises Tanaruz commitment to circular economic principles.

Liek a pair of 3D printed glasses ,earphones or orthopedic in-soles, the Tanaruz boats are fully customizable via a mobile App for iOS and Android. Users can can customize the length, boat and cushion colors, engine type and brand, number of batteries, numbers and more. Four different models are currently available on the Tanaruz app. The hull can be modified from 4.5 to up to 7.5 meters; open and indoor cabins are possible, with capacity from 3 to 8 people. The engine-battery combinations make the ship suited for trips of up to 30 km and most hull prints can be completed in 40 hours. The app even goes as far as estimating the final price (from about 20,000 to over 60,000 euro) which really makes you want to click and get one.

The 3D printer deployed at the the Tanaruz is a robotic LFAM system using an ABB multi-axis robotic arm. The ABB-manufactured Motion Track is the only track on the market with a high speed, precision accuracy, and flexibility guarantee. The unique features of ABB are exploited to optimise movement, path accuracy, and speed for the robot arm. The robot arm, having been specially made for Tanaruz, has the ideal parameters for the 3D printed yacht.

With its great accuracy and fast cycle time, the production line of Tanaruz is expected to be highly productive. The extruder, manufactured by the Dutch company Xtrution, handles the process of melting and extruding the materials following the Tanaruz specifications. It was built to ensure steady and accurate boat printing.

Sounds too good to be true? It probably is, but only for now. The people behind Tanaruz are really serious about this. Their idea may still be a bit raw but it’s close to getting its sea legs.