3D Printing Community to Save a Species

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
Joined
May 9, 2000
Messages
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Project Shellter is aiming to provide shelters for the homeless. This is a noble endeavor indeed…..except the homeless in this case are all Hermit crabs. It seems Hermit crabs are running out of suitable shells used for housing and Project Shellter is going to harness the collective talents of 5000 3D printers to ease the housing shortage. Maybe if this project works out, they can pool their resources and make shelters for human beings next time.
 
So let me understand this. They are printing 3D PLASTIC shells for hermit crabs and tossing them into the ocean? How is this not littering?
 
like the thousand comments in that link- throwing pieces of plastic into the ocean is going to do more harm than good.
 
I like this one the best

This is stupid.

1. Consult with a marine biologist to find out if there is a real shortage of shells for hermit crabs to use.

Tip: There isn't. Source: I'm a marine biologist.
Click to expand...
 
I wonder after they get their new 3D shells are the crabs going to have to wear little 3D glasses? :p
 
It is amazingly uninformed stupid crap like this that gets "environmentalists" made fun of for being retards.

Ugh...seriously.
 
WTF!? Shell shortage? Ummm are places like Michaels and other craft stores just stripping the seas bare? They do know that hermit crabs are quite opportunistic and they will kill snails to grab thei shells..


grrr fucking retards?!@!()*(*&!(*#&(!#
 
all the problems in the world and they focus their energy/time/money on THIS?

and people wonder why the world is generally F'd.
 
Maybe if this project works out said:
Comon man. Its for a good cause. Except the shells need to be bio degradable. Like we can print houses/shelters with our 3d printers.
Click to expand...
 
SAVE THE CRABS!!!
Do they taste like crab, or chicken??
NOM NOM NOM!!!
 
Does anyone else remember this? Several years ago there was a failed attempt to create a pop culture trend by selling hermit crabs as pets? Every mall had a kiosk with a terrorist looking guy selling hermit crabs. They also sold shells that where all (poorly) hand painted and made of ceramic that you could buy as accessories for your crab. The display smelled like a litter box during low tide when you got close enough to take a good look (because that's pretty much exactly what it was). But the thing I remember most was the dirty bearded guy spraying the crabs with a squirt bottle to keep them moist. Now, he did not spray them with a gentle mist. He used the harsh laser fine spray on these poor little creatures. It actually knocked them back a few centimeters with each spray. It was like watching a miniature reenactment of a civil rights protest. My theory is that they tried to do a second attempt at selling these crabs but nobody wanted to support them even though they already ordered several hundred thousand plastic shells so they said "FUCK IT! TOSS EM IN THE OCEAN!"
 
The plastics Makerbots and other RepRap derived 3D printers tend to use its either PLA or ABS.
PLA is the most commonly used print material, is biodegradable and is created from corn starch or similar starchy foods.

The project is to design a shell for the crabs, in its current state its only at design stage. The finer details like print material and distribution haven't been decided upon.

I love how so many the people instantly jumped on the environmental bandwagon without doing any research.
 
JoeDaStudd said:
I love how so many the people instantly jumped on the environmental bandwagon without doing any research.
Click to expand...

Did you perhaps miss the part that it doesn't matter because they are trying to fix a problem that does NOT exist?

Hermit crabs don't grab shotgun shells and the like because of a lack of snail shells, they do it because it was right there and fitted them nicely.

Again, there is no shortage of shells, they are an opportunistic species that uses whatever they consider best at the time.

Also i wonder how many peeps here have actually taken biotechnology courses, biodegradable materials aren't always the best option, sometimes you want something that won't degrade and thus won't affect the ecosystem.
 
I love how so many people instantly jumped on to support polylactide as an environmental-friendly product without doing any research.
Yes, it's biodegradable, in several years, but do you think industrial production of polylactide from starch is a green process?
Do you think industrial extraction of starch from corn is a green process?
Do you think industrial cultivation of food products like corn for non-food products such as bioethanol, glue and polylactide is a green process?
Do you think shipping the production of 5,000 printer owners to the coast is a green process?
Do you think piloting a diesel boat for miles to dump tens of thousands of polylactide shells is a green process? Do we even know where to dump them?
At least "green" biodegradable polylactide will compensate the toxicity of the lead weights used to keep the shells at the bottom of the ocean... ^-^
Do you think that the product sold as polylactide by Makerbots is made just from pure corn starch with no other toxic components?
Do you know that polylactide does not degrade readily under 60°C?
Do you think it is green to dump polylactide and a ballast into the ocean without even conducting a study of biodegradability in these conditions?
Do we even know that Makerbots plans on using polylactide and not some much more toxic product?
Do you know that under uncontrolled composting conditions, polylactide turns brittle and degrades into little flakes that are likely to rise up to the surface of the ocean and form these mass of agglutinated plastics that cause seabirds, sea mammals and fishes to die?
Furthermore, do you think dumping polylactide shells into the ocean will solve the problem of trawler boats whose nets ravage the ocean floor? The new shells will get buried like everything else. Not that it should be a problem anyway, because as a marine biologist said, there is no shortage of shells, and as another commenter said, it is a non-solution for a non-problem. Just a way for Makerbots to sell more polylactide to their customers and make "green" PR at the same time.
 
Chimel said:
I love how so many people instantly jumped on to support polylactide as an environmental-friendly product without doing any research.
Yes, it's biodegradable, in several years, but do you think industrial production of polylactide from starch is a green process?
Do you think industrial extraction of starch from corn is a green process?
Do you think industrial cultivation of food products like corn for non-food products such as bioethanol, glue and polylactide is a green process?
Do you think shipping the production of 5,000 printer owners to the coast is a green process?
Do you think piloting a diesel boat for miles to dump tens of thousands of polylactide shells is a green process? Do we even know where to dump them?
At least "green" biodegradable polylactide will compensate the toxicity of the lead weights used to keep the shells at the bottom of the ocean... ^-^
Do you think that the product sold as polylactide by Makerbots is made just from pure corn starch with no other toxic components?
Do you know that polylactide does not degrade readily under 60°C?
Do you think it is green to dump polylactide and a ballast into the ocean without even conducting a study of biodegradability in these conditions?
Do we even know that Makerbots plans on using polylactide and not some much more toxic product?
Do you know that under uncontrolled composting conditions, polylactide turns brittle and degrades into little flakes that are likely to rise up to the surface of the ocean and form these mass of agglutinated plastics that cause seabirds, sea mammals and fishes to die?
Furthermore, do you think dumping polylactide shells into the ocean will solve the problem of trawler boats whose nets ravage the ocean floor? The new shells will get buried like everything else. Not that it should be a problem anyway, because as a marine biologist said, there is no shortage of shells, and as another commenter said, it is a non-solution for a non-problem. Just a way for Makerbots to sell more polylactide to their customers and make "green" PR at the same time.
Click to expand...

Are you going to give us a study guide before the test at least? :p
 
Chimel said:
I love how so many people instantly jumped on to support polylactide as an environmental-friendly product without doing any research.
Yes, it's biodegradable, in several years, but do you think industrial production of polylactide from starch is a green process?
Do you think industrial extraction of starch from corn is a green process?
Do you think industrial cultivation of food products like corn for non-food products such as bioethanol, glue and polylactide is a green process?
Do you think shipping the production of 5,000 printer owners to the coast is a green process?
Do you think piloting a diesel boat for miles to dump tens of thousands of polylactide shells is a green process? Do we even know where to dump them?
At least "green" biodegradable polylactide will compensate the toxicity of the lead weights used to keep the shells at the bottom of the ocean... ^-^
Do you think that the product sold as polylactide by Makerbots is made just from pure corn starch with no other toxic components?
Do you know that polylactide does not degrade readily under 60°C?
Do you think it is green to dump polylactide and a ballast into the ocean without even conducting a study of biodegradability in these conditions?
Do we even know that Makerbots plans on using polylactide and not some much more toxic product?
Do you know that under uncontrolled composting conditions, polylactide turns brittle and degrades into little flakes that are likely to rise up to the surface of the ocean and form these mass of agglutinated plastics that cause seabirds, sea mammals and fishes to die?
Furthermore, do you think dumping polylactide shells into the ocean will solve the problem of trawler boats whose nets ravage the ocean floor? The new shells will get buried like everything else. Not that it should be a problem anyway, because as a marine biologist said, there is no shortage of shells, and as another commenter said, it is a non-solution for a non-problem. Just a way for Makerbots to sell more polylactide to their customers and make "green" PR at the same time.
Click to expand...
PLA can be created using e coli, link.
As for the cultivation without spending a good few hours looking through some research papers I wouldn't be sure. I'm sure its not perfectly green, but it has to be greener then the process of creating say ABS.
Its currently a project to design a new shell, the logics and final material haven't been decided upon.
And why would the project use a more toxic material or any form of toxic material?

PLA nor any other type of plastic is mentioned in the article [H] linked until the last paragraph where the editor/write "presumes" it will be plastic.

To quote makerbot's blog
There seems to be a some misunderstandings about the project. Here are some clarifications:

  • The final shell material has yet to be determined; plastic is being used for prototypes
  • No printed shells have been distributed in the wild
  • The goal is to create a printable hermit crab shell for domestic use thus reducing harvesting of natural shells
Click to expand...
 
MajorDomo said:
Maybe if this project works out, they can pool their resources and make shelters for human beings next time.
Click to expand...

Well there are so many vacant warehouses, closed business offices, and foreclosed homes, you'd think the government would utilize them somehow...Then again we are talking about the government.
 
I think the intent here was to keep people and companies from havesting wild shells for pets, so wild crabs have those available.

I keep 6 hermit crabs, 4 "purple pincher" and 2 Ecuadorian. They are incredibly picky about the interior, shape, and surface of their homes, and will often swap and decide it isnt to their liking, and then fight to get another shell back. (Sometimes leaving them to wander naked, which causes their gills to dry and they die).

Somehow, I dont think makerbot shells are going to meet the muster of the crabs. Not unless they figure out how to print with mother of pearl.
 
This is what leftards do because they believe they are being noble while not realizing that they are being detrimental and fail.
 
You humans want to help out nature? Here's how you do it.

1) GTFO.
2) Done.

Leave nature alone and nature takes care of itself. Just don't dump toxic crap in the air and water and use some common sense and the rest will sort itself out.
 
Phoenix333 said:
You humans want to help out nature? Here's how you do it.

1) GTFO.
2) Done.

Leave nature alone and nature takes care of itself. Just don't dump toxic crap in the air and water and use some common sense and the rest will sort itself out.
Click to expand...

Careful, that comes dangerously close to being a sane and rational idea. The environmentalists might have to break out their "green" torches and pitchforks for such blasphemy. :p
 
Chimel said:
I love how so many people instantly jumped on to support polylactide as an environmental-friendly product without doing any research.
Yes, it's biodegradable, in several years, but do you think industrial production of polylactide from starch is a green process?
Do you think industrial extraction of starch from corn is a green process?
Do you think industrial cultivation of food products like corn for non-food products such as bioethanol, glue and polylactide is a green process?
Do you think shipping the production of 5,000 printer owners to the coast is a green process?
Do you think piloting a diesel boat for miles to dump tens of thousands of polylactide shells is a green process? Do we even know where to dump them?
At least "green" biodegradable polylactide will compensate the toxicity of the lead weights used to keep the shells at the bottom of the ocean... ^-^
Do you think that the product sold as polylactide by Makerbots is made just from pure corn starch with no other toxic components?
Do you know that polylactide does not degrade readily under 60°C?
Do you think it is green to dump polylactide and a ballast into the ocean without even conducting a study of biodegradability in these conditions?
Do we even know that Makerbots plans on using polylactide and not some much more toxic product?
Do you know that under uncontrolled composting conditions, polylactide turns brittle and degrades into little flakes that are likely to rise up to the surface of the ocean and form these mass of agglutinated plastics that cause seabirds, sea mammals and fishes to die?
Furthermore, do you think dumping polylactide shells into the ocean will solve the problem of trawler boats whose nets ravage the ocean floor? The new shells will get buried like everything else. Not that it should be a problem anyway, because as a marine biologist said, there is no shortage of shells, and as another commenter said, it is a non-solution for a non-problem. Just a way for Makerbots to sell more polylactide to their customers and make "green" PR at the same time.
Click to expand...

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