Will.i.am Wants You to Buy This Eco-Friendly 3-D Printer

By Geoff Weiss | Jun 17, 2014
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To his long hit list of chart-topping singles and entrepreneurial pursuits — I Gotta Feeling and a founding stake in Beats Electronics, among them — will.i.am is now adding a 3-D printer with a decidedly ecological bent.

Ekocycle Cube, a 3-D printer that exclusively prints from post-consumer waste, is slated to ship later this year.

Will.i.am already boasts a measure of experience in both 3-D printing and environmentalism. In addition to launching Ekocycle — a brand that creates aspirational products from recycled materials — alongside Coca-Cola in 2012, he was named chief creative officer of 3D Systems, a 3-D printing company, last January.

Related: This Gadget Will Let You 3-D Print in Nutella

An amalgamation of these two curiosities has resulted in the Ekocycle Cube, which will be priced at $1,199.

Each printing cartridge used for the device is made in part from recycled plastic coke bottles, 3D Systems . They are available in shades of red, black, white and natural and are composed of roughly three recycled bottles each.

Additionally, the printer will ship with a collection of 25 fashion, music and tech-minded accessory designs — including bracelets, vases and birdhouses — all of which have been curated by will.i.am himself.

This isn’t the artist’s first foray into the hardware sphere. He is also the creator of the — a much-derided, $475 iPhone camera accessory that touts 14-megapixel sensors and also doubles as a phone case and necklace.

Related: With $6.4 Million in New Funding, This 3-D Printed Insole Maker Is Looking Hot

To his long hit list of chart-topping singles and entrepreneurial pursuits — I Gotta Feeling and a founding stake in Beats Electronics, among them — will.i.am is now adding a 3-D printer with a decidedly ecological bent.

Ekocycle Cube, a 3-D printer that exclusively prints from post-consumer waste, is slated to ship later this year.

Will.i.am already boasts a measure of experience in both 3-D printing and environmentalism. In addition to launching Ekocycle — a brand that creates aspirational products from recycled materials — alongside Coca-Cola in 2012, he was named chief creative officer of 3D Systems, a 3-D printing company, last January.

Geoff Weiss • Former Staff Writer

Geoff Weiss is a former staff writer at Âé¶¹Éç.com.
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