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Open-source 3D Printed Pipe Fittings Reduce Water Waste, New Study Argues (3dprintingindustry.com)
submitted 3 months ago by Lexam@lemmy.world to c/3dprinting@lemmy.world
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Could be promising as long as the print is water tight.

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[-] RecallMadness@lemmy.nz 28 points 3 months ago

I have doubts.

I live in a city where water leaks contribute to something like 40% of supplied potable water ‘consumption’.

Why so much? Because the pipes are old, shit, and underground. it costs a load of money to dig that shit up.

A $5 (or even $500) brass fitting that will last 50+ years is nothing when you’ve spent $1000s doing traffic management, digging up a road, replacing some pipe, and putting it all back again.

What are you going to trust? A $5 lump of solid of brass, or a $0.3 lump of plastic, made by squeezing 0.2mm layers of plastic string on top of each other, using a system whose bonding strength can be drastically affected by ambient and absorbed humidity, temperature, speed, airflow, and a whole load of other variables.

[-] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 26 points 3 months ago

The researchers believe using a parametric-driven method for local, on-demand 3D printing of customized fittings will unlock more efficient water management.

there's a whole lot of buzzwords there. if the current system can't be fixed becuse there's no parts (pipe fitting, and pipes,) to replace the leaky bits, then how exactly do you expect them to source a 3 d printer and filament? More to the point... FDM prints themselves are prone to leaking, from a myriad of issues.

I don't think 3d printing the pipe fittings is the answer here.

that said, it's cool and fun all the same.

[-] Carighan@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago

Yeah we're not talking about a BambuLabs printer with some PLA here.

[-] MightyCuriosity@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 months ago

I think they are not talking about access to parts but more so custom sizes? Parametric driven is just a fancy word for using easily adjustable dimensions and linking them together. Local on demand 3D printing would mean in close proximity whenever you need it. I think the local part is trivial but alright. Customized means specific for the application.

In my house for example there's an old central heating pipe that is out of standard so connecting any modern standard pipe or appliance to it is impossible. With a weird workaround it works but still leaks. This method of 3D printing a custom connector would solve it. Not sure what other use there is really.

[-] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago

and that is why standard sizes exist. The solution then, is to get every one on standardized sizing so the parts work.

The problems are that now somebody needs to have and maintain a printer. (I presume FDM, but resin or something would be more useful.) even then, the production is limited, and you're still having to source filament or whatever, as well as the parts necessary to maintain it. These parts are all more complicated than PVC pipe fittings are. (and depending on where we're talking, may not even be available for a variety of reasons.)

and when the part fails (as all things eventually do,) you're going to be right back where you started. You might be able to get another custom part printed. if the guy happens to still be around and availible.

Granted, the people running the study or setting up the open source fittings probably don't have the money to encourage people to replace their plumbing, but that's the solution that won't see us right back at the problem in a few years. or less.

[-] MightyCuriosity@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 months ago

I agree wholeheartedly. But replacing all of the piping will be very expensive. I think this is more geared towards the people who don't have the kind of money or expertise or both to replace their entire plumbing and this will help mitigate those issues by being able to connect weird sizes together. That's at least what I got from scanning the article.

[-] Fondots@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago

I don't disagree with the need for local, on-demand production for some oddball parts in some cases, but I do think that 3d printing is the wrong technology for it in this case

This seems like a perfect use for some sort of CNC lathe to me. Pipes are cylinders, and lathes are pretty much the perfect tool to create cylindrical objects. Chuck a piece of metal (or whatever material you need to make the part out of), turn it down to the correct inner and outer diameters, cut the right threads on either end, and you're good to go. Need to be able to pet a wrench on it? Start with hex stock.

I'd have a lot more confidence that a part isn't going to start leaking if it's carved out of a solid piece of material than if it's made out of many layers of material deposited on top of each other.

The only thing a lathe would struggle with is things like elbows and tees, but with a little know-how you can get around that by just making adapters to more readily available standard elbows and such, using flexible tubing, tube benders, etc.

The idea of 3d printing these parts really feels like a "when all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail" situation.

[-] MightyCuriosity@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 months ago

CNC/lathe work is harder since it requires specialised machines which are a magnitude more expensive than a 3D printer. The method developed allows for low cost fixes to reduce the water leakage globally. Albeit maybe less reliable or permanent.

[-] KryptonNerd@slrpnk.net 2 points 3 months ago

The research comes from Joshua Pearce's lab which generally does pretty good work. They tend to focus on "appropriate technology" especially for the developing world, so it makes a lot more sense when you look at it in combination with their other research focusing on low resource environments.

[-] x00z@lemmy.world 8 points 3 months ago

I would love some extra micro plastics in my water.

[-] kitnaht@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago

If these weren't made using the FDM process, they could be quite useful; but as-is the FDM process is weak along the Z axis, and these kinds of fittings aren't going to withstand a lifetime of abuse -- not only that, the kinds of plastics we're printing with aren't really regulated to any kind of degree, so depending on what kind of things are in the water, you could just be pumping large amounts of microplastics into your system by using something like this.

It's a great avenue for research, but we need more robust methods of printing for something like this.

[-] otter@lemmy.dbzer0.com -4 points 3 months ago

What kind of polymers are you using? While the z-axis issue is certainly a concern, there are adjustments that can be made to a model and/or orientation of it that may mitigate various challenges by usecase, though withstanding "a lifetime of abuse" is unlikely even then. Lastly, if you're concerned about microplastics' volume entering your system, I'm betting you were raised to consider recycling as a consumer-focused solution to <insert any of myriad global issues>, like many of us. 🥲😅

[-] kitnaht@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago

It's not only that, but FDM produces many tiny ridges for any organic matter to latch onto and grow in. It's simply not a reasonable solution for something like this. Sure, Nylon has good interlayer adhesion, but it's also a bitch to print.

Plenty of systems have taken a lifetime of abuse, PEX tubing being used industrially for its amazing longevity and that's what I use in my home as well.

I'm betting you were raised to consider recycling as a consumer-focused solution to , like many of us. 🥲😅

What are you on about now? Was this some attempt at an insult or something I'm too daft to pick up?

[-] rbesfe@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 months ago

3D Printed pipe fittings have to be one of the worst 3D printing applications I've ever heard of. We use metal fittings for a reason.

[-] AnyOldName3@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago

Plenty of plumbing is done with moulded plastic pipes and fittings, and I've 3D printed garden hose fittings (things like GHT to BSP adapters, which aren't easy to buy) with success, so it's not like moulding is the only way to make plastic good enough.

this post was submitted on 26 Feb 2025
36 points (90.9% liked)

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