NATURAL FIBRES | MATERIALS
and the team is collecting data on how the materi- als perform over time in the Maine climate. The team says that they are currently looking at a range of possible improvements to optimise the materials. ASCC says that the fully bio-based and 3D-print- ed home is unique, as other 3D-printed home designs use concrete walls on a conventional, concrete foundation with traditional wood roofing. The SM2
ART collaboration is actively researching
bio-based, 3D-printed composites in a range of applications, including boat building and offshore wind components.
Particles and fibres In a project at the German Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research (WKI) in collaboration with the University of Stuttgart, the Laser Zentrum Hannover and industrial partners, researchers are using an extrusion-based 3D printing process (fused deposition modeling) for thermoplastics reinforced with natural fibres to manufacture interior construc- tion components (façade elements, free-form furniture or partition walls). As a demonstration, Fraunhofer WKI developed
the material for a column displayed at last year’s prestigious Biennale event in Venice, Italy. The material consisted of wood particles embedded in a matrix of PLA-blend. The Biennale Architettura 2023 was open from May to November. The Fraunhofer WKI group is currently research- ing composites made with continuous natural fibre (including cellulose and flax) filaments for 3D printing. PLA filaments with diameters of 1.75 mm and 2.85 mm and fibres in the core were prepared using a twin-screw extruder with a specific die. “The main challenge is to use fibres which have been well dried and to keep the filament diameter constant,” says Arne Schirp, project leader at the Fraunhofer WKI. “At present, printing tests are being performed as part of a project with several partners that is coordinated by the University of
IMAGE: ANDREA FERRO PHOTOGRAPHY
Stuttgart. In addition, we have been working on fibre pretreatments, including fire-retardants, with promising results. Small-scale flammability tests (based on the UL94 procedure) showed V-0 classification for 4-mm thick printed samples. Inclusion of the fibres prevented burning dripping; the latter was observed with pure PLA.” Sweden’s Biofiber Tech produces FibraQ pellets using its patented technology to make wood fibres hydrophobic and more compatible with plastics. The company’s FibraQ compounds contain the wood fibres in virgin or recycled plastics (for example ABS, TPE, EVA) or in bio-based plastics. In a recent project funded by Sweden’s Bioinnovation and in partnership with Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE), FibraQ compounds made with plastic recycled from discarded fishing nets were used by sporting goods company Melker of Sweden to 3D-print a kayak.
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.composites.umaine.edu �
www.ornl.gov �
www.wki.fraunhofer.de �
www.biofibertech.com
Above: Material for a 3D-printed column made from natural- fibre reinforced thermoplastic was developed at the Fraun- hofer Institute for Wood Research
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