Save the ocean’s coral reefs with science 3D printers

There hasn’t been much good news for ocean corals lately, but a man and his 3D printer could provide a lifeline, as Alex Schofield, design technician at Objects and Ideograms, is working on a new technology.

In his framework, he created new skeletons of the formation of corals, and laboratory experiments showed that the technology is promising. In an innovation out of San Francisco, Schofield found a way to incorporate calcium carbonate, a material that forms scaffolding for coral, into 3D printing. To create complex reef surfaces that can replace the real surface.

By grinding calcium carbonate, also known as limestone, to a fine powder, Schofield can build an artificial reef to support octopuses seeking “reside.” The 3D printer builds the calcium carbonate framework layer by layer, according to Schofield.