In 2009, discarded TVs, computers, peripherals (including printers, scanners, fax machines) mice, keyboards, and cell phones totaled about 2.37 million short tons. Most of our e-waste ends up in landfills—mostly in the developing world—where toxic metals leach into the environment. This open source project aims to convert some of that e-waste into usable 3D printers.

E-Waste 3D Printer uses python and FreeCAD to 3D model printable parts for the construction of more 3D printers. Through globalVars.py dimensions of procured e-waste are turned into customized 3D models. E-Waste 3D Printer's software depends on FreeCAD's python scripting API. FreeCAD can be found here.

All of the customisable options can be configured here. After generating your configuration file make sure to replace the original "globalVars.py file with the newly generated one.

To begin creating a printer from the default options, open FreeCAD. Next, select “Macros ...” from the “Macro” menu. Next, select the folder where “makePrinter.py” is stored. Finally, select “makePrinter.py” for the available options. After that, hit “Execute” to create a printer. If everything was installed correctly, you should now have something that looks like this: Remember, it might take a while for your printer to be modeled. Please be patient.

To facilitate an efficient workflow, E-Waste 3D Printer can interface with Plater to arrange parts in an extremely efficient manner. Make sure to put the appropriate version of plater in the "plater" folder. (Eg. plater.exe, plater.dmg, or plater)

E-Waste 3D Printer can also interface with Slic3r to slice parts automatically. After installing the dependencies, make sure to put the appropriate version of Slic3r in the "Slic3r" folder. (Eg. slic3r.exe, slic3r.dmg, or slic3r)