This is how R3direct created a massive 3D-printed statue using post-consumer waste
The Italian company R3direct has created a massive 3D printed monument made of post-consumer plastic coming from local waste sorting. The artwork is a reinterpretation of the 1973 “Marco Cavallo“, designed to encourage citizens to reflect on issues of sustainability and mental health.
“Marco Cavallo of the XXI century” was 3D printed with two WASP 3MT HDP, the large-scale pellet 3D printer, using 100% recycled materials coming from urban waste.
The artwork, signed by the artist Edoardo Malagigi, is formally inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s preparatory drawings for the equestrian monument dedicated to Francesco Sforza, which was never realized.
As a contemporary symbol of the need to care for society and the environment, the new Marco Cavallo, according to the artist’s vision, bears the burden of waste and pollution produced by people, imagining itself ideally immersed in it and emerging completely covered. At the same time, through an ‘alchemical’ operation, it transforms the waste it is made of and covered with into precious material, in a process akin to the practices of the circular economy.
The monument is located within Parco San Salvi, the former psychiatric hospital in Florence.
3D printing 100% recycled post-consumer waste
Throughout history, the creation of public artworks has always involved the use of precious and durable materials such as marble or bronze. However, despite being natural, these materials entail a significant environmental impact during extraction, transportation, and final processing.
Today, there are new ‘mountains’ from which to extract valuable raw materials without causing environmental harm, and these ‘mountains’ are found in every city: they are the heaps of urban waste that citizens produce and that the system must manage and dispose of, often with difficulty.
The recycled plastic pellets used in the artwork were produced a few kilometers from the installation site by Revet, an Italian company that sorts and recycles waste on-site. This process produces pellets suitable for industrial 3D printing with a much lower carbon footprint compared to virgin pellets and other recycled pellets available on the market.
Thanks to its advanced extrusion system designed to work even with irregular and large-size pellets, WASP 3MT HDP was used by R3direct to 3D print the whole monument. The sculpture was divided into smaller sections, that were later assembled into the final structure.
After being 3D printed, each part was superficially refined and then stitched together to form the opera. The modules were assembled on a lightweight metal frame to provide solidity to the structure.
After being assembled, the statue was moved to Parco San Salvi, the former psychiatric hospital in Florence, and installed in its permanent position. The monument was inaugurated on March 11, on the occasion of the centenary of Franco Basaglia’s birth.
The work was commissioned by the Chille della Balanza association, which decided to donate a permanent piece to the city of Florence to mark its 50 years of activity.
Large Scale 3D Printing
‘Marco Cavallo of the XXI century‘ was created by R3direct using WASP 3MT HDP. This large-scale pellet 3D printer can print directly from plastic granules, making it possible to experiment with new sustainable and technical materials.
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