Sun-Powered Cutter and Solar-Powered 3D Printer that Creates Glass Objects from Sand {PHOTOS & VIDEOS}

June 28th, 2011 by Zachary Shahan

Pictures and video of the ‘Sun Cutter’ and some suncut sunglasses before a little text on it and its creator. Then, info, pictures, and video of a 3D solar-powered printer that melts sand to create glass objects.

Sun Cutter components. (click to enlarge)

Sun Cutter in use in the Sinai Desert in Egypt. (click to enlarge)

Suncut sunglasses. (click to enlarge)

Cool. Beautiful filming, too.

Industrial designer and tinkerer Markus Kayser spent the better part of a year building and experimenting with two fantastic devices that harness the sun’s power in some of the world’s harshest climates. The first he calls a Sun Cutter, a low-tech light cutter that uses a large ball lens to focus the sun’s rays onto a surface that’s moved by a cam-guided system. As the surface moves under the magnified light it cuts 2D components like a laser. The project was tested for the first time in August 2010 in the Egyptian desert and Kayser used thin plywood to create the parts for a few pairs of pretty sweet shades. But he didn’t stop there.

That’s an intro on Kayser and a text description of the above from the site Colossal. Now, what he created next….

3D Solar Printer, ‘Solar Sinter’

Moving on from the Sun Cutter, Kayser delved into 3D printing using solar power. He created a Solar Sinter to melt sand and create 3D glass objects from it. Kayser writes:

In a world increasingly concerned with questions of energy production and raw material shortages, this project explores the potential of desert manufacturing, where energy and material occur in abundance.

In this experiment sunlight and sand are used as raw energy and material to produce glass objects using a 3D printing process, that combines natural energy and material with high-tech production technology.

Solar-sintering aims to raise questions about the future of manufacturing and triggers dreams of the full utilisation of the production potential of the world’s most efficient energy resource – the sun. Whilst not providing definitive answers, this experiment aims to provide a point of departure for fresh thinking.

Creative guy? I think so. Learn more about the Solar Sinter in the video following these 6 photos (needless to say, it is a must-see):

Bowl made from 3D solar printer, Solar Sinter. (click to enlarge)

Solar Sinter getting set up. (click to enlarge)

Solar Sinter in use. (click to enlarge)

More at MarkusKayser.com

h/t Boing Boing

Keep up to date with all the hottest cleantech news by subscribing to our (free) cleantech newsletter, or keep an eye on sector-specific news by getting our (also free) solar energy newsletter, electric vehicle newsletter, or wind energy newsletter.

Tags: 3D printer, 3D printers, innovation, solar powered 3D printer, solar powered printer, solar sinter, sun cutter

About the Author

Zachary Shahan spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as the director/chief editor. Otherwise, he's probably enthusiastically fulfilling his duties as the director/editor of Solar Love, EV Obsession, Planetsave, or Bikocity. Zach is recognized globally as a solar energy, electric car, and wind energy expert. If you would like him to speak at a related conference or event, connect with him via social media. You can connect with Zach on any popular social networking site you like. Links to all of his main social media profiles are on ZacharyShahan.com.