Caracol and NextChem bring to life Beluga

Caracol works with its proprietary robotic Additive Manufacturing system that can be used to improve the efficiency of various production methods while also providing a solution that is more respectful towards the environment. Traditional methods to produce sailing boats usually entail methods that require molds and use materials that are hard to recycle like fiberglass. For this reason, Caracol has employed its proprietary robotic Additive Manufacturing system to produce the hull of the sailing boat in a single piece. This large-scale Additive Manufacturing system works with an extruder patented by Caracol and a 6-axis robotic arm, generating significant advantages in terms of costs, sustainability, production lead time, and part performance.

The Beluga project has different themes related to it: from innovation in manufacturing to circular economy and plastic recycling. It is an immersive experience into the world of large-scale 3D printing and in the possibilities that material upcycling offers.

Circular economy processes that give new life to plastic waste can become increasingly vital as a source of raw material for both design applications as well as industrial ones. The sailing boat has been manufactured using MyReplast^TM material. This material recovered through Upcycling processes of waste, is an example of how recycled polymers can be used successfully to produce advanced components with high performance requirements.

Caracol, company from Lomazzo (CO), was born from the idea of overcoming the limits of manufacturing and finding new, more efficient and sustainable solutions. Today Caracol offers a range of different and extreme additive manufacturing solutions to its clients in different sectors, with no scale limits.