Caracol and NextChem bring to life Beluga: the world’s first 3D printed sailing boat

Caracol and NextChem (Maire Tecnimont Group) partnered to create Beluga: a joint research project to produce the first 3D printed sailing boat prototype made in a single piece with MyReplastTM recycled material. The sailing boat – a symbol of new beginnings, restart, exploration, and here also of innovation in the manufacturing world – will be presented officially in the 2021 edition of Milano Design Week. Caracol works with its proprietary robotic Additive Manufacturing system that can be used to improve the efficiency of various production methods while also providing a solution that is more respectful towards the environment.

Traditional methods to produce sailing boats usually entail methods that require molds and use materials that are hard to recycle like fiberglass. For this reason, Caracol has employed its proprietary robotic Additive Manufacturing system to produce the hull of the sailing boat in a single piece. This large-scale Additive Manufacturing system works with an extruder patented by Caracol and a 6-axis robotic arm, generating significant advantages in terms of costs, sustainability, production lead time, and part performance.

Beluga will be presented from the 5th to the 10th of September in a location in the heart of Isola Design District, in Via Angelo della Pergola 11/4, where during the week different guest speakers will talk about the project and different themes related to it: from innovation in manufacturing to circular economy and plastic recycling. It will be an immersive experience into the world of large-scale 3D printing and in the possibilities that material upcycling offers.

Circular economy processes that give new life to plastic waste can become increasingly vital as a source of raw material for both design applications as well as industrial ones. The sailing boat presented has been manufactured using MyReplastTM material. This material recovered through upcycling processes of waste is an example of how recycled polymers can be used successfully to produce advanced components with high-performance requirements.

Caracol, a company from Lomazzo (CO), was born from the idea of overcoming the limits of manufacturing and finding new, more efficient, and sustainable solutions. Today Caracol offers a range of different and extreme additive manufacturing solutions to its clients in different sectors, with no scale limits.