Yeah, the future is boating. The future of manufacturing, at the least, if you consider a recent accomplishment by a team from the University of Maine Composites Center. They created a center console boat said to be 25 feet long and displacing 5,000 pounds, according to published reports like this one from the Associated Press.
The boat is named 3Dirigo, a play on Maine’s motto, “Dirigo,” which is Latin for “I lead.” It was, according to the AP report, created in one solid piece during a nonstop printing over 72 hours. It cost about $40,000 to produce.
A team from Guinness World Records was on hand to certify that the boat was the largest 3D object ever printed.
It’s reported 5,000-pound weight and 40,000 dollar cost are both high, compared to manufactured fiberglass or aluminum boats. Still, there is promise in that as this technology develops, boats could be printed, “on-site,” or regionally, rather than being built in a factory that may be a continent-or an ocean-away from the retail boat buyer. Or not. Time will tell.
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Read the full report, here.
Takeaway: You create a good future by creating a good present.
–Eckhart Tolle
