{"id":9466,"date":"2018-09-06T01:44:59","date_gmt":"2018-09-06T01:44:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/?p=9466"},"modified":"2018-09-05T16:41:12","modified_gmt":"2018-09-05T16:41:12","slug":"3d-printed-coral-reef-indian-ocean-060920184","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/3d-printed-coral-reef-indian-ocean-060920184\/","title":{"rendered":"A 3D printed coral reef has been successfully installed in the Indian Ocean"},"content":{"rendered":"

Not too far back, we presented you with a video of a 3D printed coral reef installed in the Maldives in one of our\u00a0top 5 videos of the week. It is considered as the largest 3D printed reef by its designer Alex Goad of the\u00a0Reef Design Lab. It could be an effective solution to preserve the marine ecosystem today threatened by global warming. The structure was created, at the bottom of the Indian Ocean, thanks to several 3D printed ceramic molds.<\/p>\n

Coral reefs are home to a variety of aquatic species, from seaweed to fish, and represent 25% of the world’s marine life.\u00a0Today, they suffer from a phenomenon called bleaching. Basically the coral polyps reject algae from their tissues. This especially happens because of the increase in water temperature. Thus causing a gradual death of the coral.\u00a0Several initiatives using 3D printing technologies developed to try to preserve the reefs and the species that live there. One such project was when\u00a0Emerging Objects worked with Boston Ceramics and SECORE (Sexual Coral Restoration) to create a population of 3D printed substrates<\/a> to attract coral larvae to the reefs and encourage their reproduction.<\/p>\n

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The largest 3D printed barrier reef<\/h3>\n

With the same goal of restoring in mind, Alex Goad, industrial designer at Reef Design Lab, has developed a 3D printed coral reef designed to be the largest ever created.\u00a0Last week it was settled in the Indian Ocean near the Summer Island Maldives.\u00a0Composed of hundreds of ceramic and concrete modules, the reef has been designed using an advanced computer modeling program. This provides the textured appearance of the print.<\/p>

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Once this modeling work was completed, a 3D printer was used to print 220 molds. A process that would have taken only 24 hours with this technology.\u00a0Alex Goad explains that these were then cast in\u00a0ceramics<\/a>, a “material that has properties similar to those of calcium carbonate which is the coral reefs”.\u00a0The mussels were then filled with concrete and assembled directly in the Indian Ocean, 7 meters deep, near an existing coral nursery.\u00a0Coral fragments were taken from the nursery and placed on the reef printed in 3D.\u00a0The team hopes that in a year or two, these corals will colonise the 3D printed coral reef.<\/p>\n

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The assembly of the modules was done directly in the water<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Alex Goad adds: ”\u00a0This is a scientific project, a research project.\u00a03D printing technology helps us to mimic the complexity of natural reef structures.\u00a0So we can design artificial reefs that look a lot like the natural ones.\u00a0We hope this will be a more effective way to grow and restore corals<\/em>\u00a0. “<\/p>\n

Project stakeholders say that if it is successful, we could see a new natural reef in a year or two.\u00a0In the meantime, you can find more information on the\u00a0Reef Design Lab website<\/a>\u00a0and in the video below if you have not already seen it:<\/p>\n