A developer known as PizzAndy has created a prototype 3D printer that uses heat generated from Bitcoin mining chips to control the printer bed temperature. The hybrid device was discussed during a recent interview on a Podcast, where PizzAndy explained how the open-source Voron printer design was modified with a custom bed system. The printer bed functions as a heatsink for Bitcoin mining ASICs, which generate the heat needed for 3D printing operations.
The current prototype achieves 500 GH/s of Bitcoin mining performance when the bed operates at 75°C. The system uses four BM 1362 AK chips connected to a custom heatsink that directly warms the printer bed. PizzAndy noted that the mining chip waste heat currently only heats the 3D printer bed and does not extend to the extruder at this time.
PizzAndy envisions the product being used primarily in print farms where machines operate continuously. “This product is mostly intended to exist in a print farm, where printers are printing around the clock, all the time… that’s when the economics of a print farm are not unlike a Bitcoin mine. And if your machines aren’t printing, you’re not making money,” he explained during the podcast.
The developer plans to create a modular tile system that would allow users to scale both printing capacity and mining operations. Each tile would contain 16 mining chips, with the new design targeting between 10 and 30 TH/s using Intel BZM2 ASIC chips. The modular approach would also enable selective heating of different bed zones and temperature control for various printing materials.
PizzAndy’s interest in the concept began in 2024 after attending a presentation about heat reuse applications. While initially uncertain about commercial viability, he has since become convinced that a commercial product could be worthwhile. The project represents a similar approach to other dual-purpose Bitcoin mining products designed for home heating applications.
Source: tomshardware.com
