JetClay
Useful information
- Team members
- Javier Pérez Contonente Alejandro Sáenz de Miera
- Country
- Spain
- Keywords
- 3d printing ceramics extruder open source digital fabrication digital crafts design
Short Description
JetClay is an OpenSource 3D printed Ceramics Platform. We develop our own 3d printers and extruders.
Detailed Description
JetClay's first relevant contribution to the field is a dry clay extruder to 3d print large pieces of ceramics (up to 1 meter) using less than 20% of humidity. In the container barrel we have placed an endless screw that allow us to control the material flow, therefore we can handle complex prints, stopping the extrusion or making retractions, making fills, etc.
In the exterior of the barrel you find the heating clamp, so that we can warm up the clay just before it is extruded through the circular tip. In our final tests we have been working with a temperature of 100 degrees that reduces the percentage of water, that evaporates due to the given heat and therefore we get a drier and stronger printed clay. Heat also improves layer union. All of this opens a new field to make larger and more complex pieces.
Ceramics are completely recyclable and have valuable properties in relation to thermal insulation, resistance to chemicals and high temperatures, low conductivity, among others.
Project Details
- Does your design take social and cultural challenges and human wellbeing into consideration?
As mentioned before, ceramics is a fully reciclable materials. Many applications and the possibilities of 3d printing with this material are yet to be discovered.
- Does your design support sustainable production, embodying circular or regenerative design practices?
Ceramic materials can be sourced 100% locally and reused in a Circular Economy dynamic.
- Does your design use principles of distribution and open source?
Our project is open source. Our design files and description are available in Wikifactory: https://wikifactory.com/@jetclay/jetclay-clay-extruder
- Does your design promote awareness of responsible design and consumption?
We try to do projects that have a positive impact and speak for themselves.
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