While the UK is mandating the presence of restrooms at railway stations, many small train stations in the Country lack this amenity. The Toilet Pods project, commissioned by ChangeMaker 3D, aims to provide a sustainable and affordable solution to this issue.
The challenge
Though the UK government is in the process of making the presence of restrooms on every train station mandatory, many small railway stations do not have one. Luckily, our partner ChangeMaker 3D, through their Printfrastructure brand, is focused on providing 3D concrete printing solutions for highways, water, and rail. And a solution they had: the sustainable and affordable, 3D printed Toilet Pod!
The design
The design of the toilet pod consists of three walls, totaling an area of 3.7×3.0 meters. The building, with a wavy design on the outside walls, is around 2.4 meters high. The initial prototype of the ChangeMaker 3D Toilet Pod was printed in our facility in the Netherlands and only took around 4.5 hours to print using our CyBe RC. This first model will be transported to The Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation (BCIMO), a not-for-profit Research and Technology Organisation with an innovation center for the main rail sector company in the area, Transport for Wales. After research at the innovation center in Birmingham, Toilet Pods will be introduced to train stations without a restroom in Wales.
The takeaways
With the ChangeMaker 3D Toilet Pods consisting of three separate walls and therefore being modular, the project is the ideal solution for the lack of restrooms on train stations in the UK. The grand opening of this initial prototype took place on April 30th, after being tested by the BCIMO. After this date, ChangeMaker3D is planning to place Toilet Pods all around the UK, offering an excellent solution to the lack of public restrooms in the railway sector.
The CyBe RC
The Toilet Pods were printed with our CyBe RC (Robot Crawler). This mobile 3D printer, leveraging its caterpillar tracks, can transport to virtually any location in any terrain. This way, it can be used for efficient on-site and off-site printing by easily moving your printer around your print site. With its superior print speed and performance, high-quality print strength and adhesion, and exceptional range, the CyBe RC is among the most efficient 3D concrete printers in the world.