MATERIALS | NATURAL FIBRES


IMAGE: MJ GAUTRAU / ASCC


Strong build: 3D printing with fibre composites


Bio-based fibres are being used in compounds for 3D printing building components and other demanding applications. Jennifer Markarian finds out more


Main image: BioHome3D was 3D printed with bio-based materials in a US project


The University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC), in a project with the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), has developed a completely 3D-printed house made entirely with bio-based and recyclable materials. The prototype BioHome3D was designed and manufactured as part of the Sustainable Materials & Manufacturing Alliance for Renewable Technolo- gies (SM2


ART) Program between the University of


Maine and ORNL. The walls, floors, and roof were all printed from wood fibre-filled PLA pelletised compounds using the ASCC’s large-scale printer. The durable, amorphous PLA grade from Nature- Works was designed to have a low material shrink


34 COMPOUNDING WORLD | May 2024


rate to reduce warpage in large-format 3D printing. The SM2


ART program is investigating a range of


material additives and functionalisations to increase the strength and overall performance of the resulting composite. For example, a recent publica- tion by University of Maine researchers described cellulose nanofibres (CNF) that were modified at the surface with PMMA, which resulted in compos- ites with higher tensile strength. The researchers said that the improvement was attributed to improved interfacial compatibility between the PMMA-modified CNF and the PLA matrix. The house was unveiled on the University of Maine campus in late 2022. The prototype has sensors for thermal and environmental monitoring,


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