Beluga 3D printed sailboat on display at Milan Design Week
Caracol will show the project during a week long event in September
As reported by our Italian-language sister website Replicatore.it, large-format 3D printing company Caracol will show Beluga, its 3D printed monocoque sailboat, during the upcoming Milan Design Week in September. In addition, for the first time ever in a project of this size and scope, the boat was produced using recycled MyReplast material. As a symbol of new beginnings, restarts and exploration, the Beluga boat is also meant to represent a renewal for the world of manufacturing.
Caracol uses with a proprietary large-format composite additive manufacturing technology that has the potential to be used to improve the efficiency of production processes and at the same time provide a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution.
Traditional methods for the production of sailboats usually require the use of molds, produce waste, and use materials such as fiberglass that still struggle to find effective recycling methods. Caracol use its internal robotic AM system to produce the hull of the sailboat in monocoque. The system works with a company-patented extruder and a 6-axis robotic arm, generating significant advantages in terms of costs, sustainability, production lead time and performance.
Beluga will be presented from September 5th through the 10th in a location in the heart of the Isola Design District, in Via Angelo della Pergola 11/4. During the Milan Design Week series of events, several guests will talk about the project and the different themes related to the project: from innovation in the manufacturing sector to the circular economy and the recovery of plastic. It will be an immersive journey into the world of large-format 3D printing and the possibilities that the circularity of materials offers.
Plastic and circular economy processes that give new life to waste materials that will be the protagonists of the installation, highlighting their potential both for design applications and for the industrial world. The MyReplast product is an example of how recycled materials can be successfully used for the production of advanced components that have high-performance requirements.
Following the inaugural evening on September 4th, the week includes several more events: Monday September 6th there will be an evening dedicated to the Circular Economy theme with Vincenzo Accurso COO of NextChem, On Tuesday September 7th Ugo Nespolo, DesignWanted and Alessio Elli will speak on Design and Art, and on Wednesday 8th there will be a round table on Open Innovation & Additive Manufacturing moderated by the CEO of Caracol Francesco De Stefano, with the participation of Salvatore Majorana, Director of Kilometro Rosso, Marco Grassi Open Innovation Director for Maire Tecnimont, and Alberto Pellero Director of Strategy and Marketing at Kuka Roboter Italia SpA.
