This ceramic 3D printer on Kickstarter can print big things with waste products

3D printing is one of the coolest futuristic techs that can live in the modern home of the present day. Being able to download a digital file and with some time and patience turn that into a real world 3D object is absolutely mind blowing. We can print accessible controller mods (opens in new tab) to help more people play games, or our own fans for cooling PCs (opens in new tab), or just a straight up Steam Deck shell (opens in new tab). We are steps away from Star Trek’s replicators in my mind’s eye. Perhaps many many steps. But one of the biggest steps to jump over has to be the materials we use.

Most 3D printing, especially in the home, uses some kind of plastic filament. There are a lot of great initiatives being taken to cut down on the waste but it’s still a lot of plastic. You can get other filaments, made from things like wood. However, it’s still often buying a new resource to make things, using a printer that requires very specific inputs, with a fair amount of waste.