School supplies based on recycled materials, designed with a 3D printer using renewable energies

Abstract

Educational institutions are dynamic entities, which is why they should focus mainly on inviting reflection and at the same time instructing on the strategies for implementing recycling that should be carried out to preserve the environment. In the case of the department of Meta, the strategies of high social and environmental impact to implement these methodologies in educational institutions are unknown.

In the municipality of Cumaral in the department of Meta (Colombia), the IE Teniente Cruz has a community of low economic resources, due to this, most of the students do not have the necessary resources to buy school supplies.

Through different research methods, essential information was obtained for decision making, in which the Universidad Santo Tomás, through its research team, seeks to design functional prototypes of school supplies to serve the students of the educational institution Teniente Cruz, through clean energy. The manufacturing cycle of these elements consists of three stages: the first stage is based on the classification of recycled materials by the institution with a device for the selection and separation of paper, cardboard, glass and plastic; the second stage, transformation and reuse of PET plastic waste for the cutting and shaping of plastic; the third stage, own design with the help of the SolidWorks tool and printing of the prototypes of school supplies with the solar-powered Tairona XL dual extruder 3D printer.