Multi-media heads at BCIT say that 3D printing is a cheap and easy way to keep your appliances working.
Due to easy use of 3D printers, people at BCIT are able to fix their appliances, that would otherwise be headed for the waste bin. These devices are great at replicating small bits and pieces after one quick scan.
“Well, I’m not gonna throw away the machine just because I need this piece, you know?” – Alistair Boakes, BCIT Media Maker Specialist
Alistair Boakes is a Media Maker Specialist at BCIT’s Media Works, a multi-media department where students can access different machines, including 3D printers.
Boakes explained that 3D printing and scanning can be very useful for medical equipment.
They had one past order for small switches that attached to medical machines used for training students at BCIT. The switches are prone to breaking and due to the high cost of medical equipment and replacing them would take a lot of time and money. However, with one small scan, they were able to make dozens for cheap at no time at all.
“If we can sort of, scan one of these pieces and then create a model, then that gives us the ability to 3D print these things for pennies, basically. So you know, we can provide, the guys with replacements as they need them…It really meets a need, solves a problem.” – Alistair Boakes, BCIT Multi Media Specialist
Repairing devices leads to less in the garbage
Scott Watts, another Media Maker Specialist, says that one of the benefits of having the 3D printers and scanners readily available is that they can help repair small appliances that would otherwise head to the waste bin, and have an impact on the environment.
In a StatCan report , it was show that 14.1 per cent of materials sent to recycling facilities in Canada in 2020, were made up of mixed materials that are found in household appliances.
Watts thinks that a lot of the electronic waste found in landfills wouldn’t be there if people could just easily access the insides of pieces and replace the broken parts.
“People are baffled by what to throw in the garbage. So, if you can keep it out of the garbage, I think that would be a better thing.” – Scott Watts, BCIT Multi Media Specialist
What is the right to repair?
The right to repair is essentially supposed to give Canadians the power to repair or replace parts in what you own, without being forced to throw it out, or only use services that the company that owns the product gives you. Currently,there is a bill in place at the Senate to make it so that large corporations can’t stop Canadians from repairing their appliances through their own means.