3D Printed Eiffel Tower Made From Ocean Waste Marks Olympics in Czechia
On Friday, July 26th, 2024, the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games officially opened! And since then we have seen incredible feats of prowess from athletes the world over in about 40 sports. But of course, not everyone can make it to France to celebrate the games, so how are different countries celebrating their athletes while cheering them on? Well, in Czechia, they have 3D printed a scaled down Eiffel Tower out of marine waste that has been put on display at the country’s official Olympic Festival.
Originally announced in April 2024, this project is the brainchild of Czech company 3DDen and the Czech Olympic team and has been erected near Lake Most in north Bohemia. It is the centerpiece of the Olympic Festival taking place on the shores of the pit lake where visitors are able to try out different sports as well as watch Czech athletes competing at the event. It is a glorious homage to France and one that also follows with the increased commitment to sustainability in the Olympics, as the 12.5-meter (~41′) structure has been made entirely from plastic taken from the ocean.
Installation of the 3D printed Eiffel Tower on the shores of Lake Most (photo credits: Martin Divisek/EFE)
Creating a 3D Printed Eiffel Tower
Eco-friendliness is the name of the game at Paris 2024 with the French authorities working hard to make it as green as possible including with more plant-based food (even if some have complained), recycled materials for temporary arenas as well as equipment like beds, a focus on public transportation and new bike lanes and much more. And sustainability was also the idea behind this 3D printed Eiffel Tower. Specifically, according to the CEO of 3DDen, it was made of about 1.3 tons of ocean waste.
Plastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental concerns facing the world, with an estimated 75 to 199 tons of plastic waste currently in our oceans. That is why more and more people are looking into ways to use and recycle these materials in more productive ways. In this case, 3DDen used around 800,000 plastic bottles which were taken from the coast of Thailand to create the structure.
In order to use the bottles, 3DDen created a special technology, that they call OPET, to turn the plastic waste in 3D printer filament. This involves turning the waste into granules before becoming filaments. Then during the printing itself, it was also necessary to use a specially-built printer, as, according to the CEO of 3DDen, Jan Hřebabecký, “You can’t tell at first glance or by touch that it is recycled plastic from seawater. The difference only becomes apparent during the printing process. The material requires very specific conditions for flow, temperature and cooling, but I won’t tell you any details, because that’s our production secret”
3DDen created a special printer for the marine waste, seen here making one of the parts for the 3D printed Eiffel Tower (photo credits: 3DDen)
Challenges of printing included the fact that it is significantly softer than regular plastic, making it hard to process. The material can crystallize in a regular printer, destroying it immediately. However, there are also advantages as the material not just helps with recycling but is also less expensive than many other plastics.
The 3D printed Eiffel Tower was made into 1,500 separate pieces and was then assembled directly at Lake Most, with just the bottom measuring 5.1 meters and the top weighing over 100kg. The 3D printed Eiffel Tower will stay on location through the Summer Games in Paris, namely July 26th through August 11th. You can find out more about the project on 3DDen’s website HERE.
What do you think of this 3D printed Eiffel Tower? Do you know of other similar projects to celebrate the Olympics? Let us know in a comment below or on our LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter pages! Don’t forget to sign up for our free weekly newsletter here for the latest 3D printing news straight to your inbox! You can also find all our videos on our YouTube channel.
*Cover Photo Credits: 3DDen
