Large Scale 3D Printing Using 100% Bio-Composite Materials

(Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

Researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), in collaboration with industrial partners, have developed and demonstrated large scale 3D printing using 100% bio-based and biodegradable composites. These materials were used to 3D print a large portion of the world’s largest green printed pavilion structure which was exhibited at the Design Miami Exposition. The Pavilion structure with complex geometry largely consisted of a bamboo fiber-reinforced biopolymer formulation developed at ORNL. This innovative green formulation has 1/3 of the embodied energy and an order of magnitude less carbon footprint of carbon fiber –resin systems normally used in large scale additive manufacturing