A small 3D printing device that can help build houses with plastic bottles is easier than ever

Minimizing, reusing and recycling are often mentioned terms when talking about efforts to reduce human dependence on natural resources. But instead of taking used soda bottles for recycling, scientists from the Hasso Plattner Institute in Germany wanted to create everything from tables and chairs, boats, to outdoor huts with this kind of stuff.

Unlike wood, stone bricks and other common materials, to create objects with these plastic bottles is not an easy task. So scientists from the Hasso Plattner Institute have developed a software called TrussFab, which allows 3D models and designs to automatically convert into structures assembled from plastic bottles, making bottles Plastics become normal materials and we just need to reassemble them according to the design of the computer.

Picture 1 of A small 3D printing device that can help build houses with plastic bottles is easier than ever
A chair made from plastic bottles can withstand more than 80kg weight.

TrussFab software not only automatically calculates the number of plastic bottles needed to create objects, it also has the ability to calculate the pressure and load of created objects. For example, the software can calculate and enhance the design so that a chair made from a plastic bottle can withstand more than 80kg of weight.

Picture 2 of A small 3D printing device that can help build houses with plastic bottles is easier than ever
Connectors to hold plastic bottles together .

Instead of using glue or tape, TrussFab helps create connectors to hold plastic bottles together. Using a 3D printer to create connectors, each connector even fits only a single bottle, thereby helping to distinguish it so that it can be easily assembled according to instructions. The bottles are then fixed by screws or genes in the connector. In the case of connecting two bottle ends together, just use a screw or bolt to hold them together.

Picture 3 of A small 3D printing device that can help build houses with plastic bottles is easier than ever
The bottles are fixed by screws or genes in the connector.

There is still no official information on when the TrussFab software will be publicly available, but right from the demo, it can be seen that the most difficult thing you need to do is collect enough plastic bottles, the rest will be processed by TrussFab.


TrussFab software turns every structural design into a plastic bottle.