Wood3Dprint: Additive manufacturing with solid wood filaments for material-efficient lightweight components

• Applicants: Professor Dr.-Ing. Stefan Böhm; Professor Philipp Eversmann
• Subject Area: Structural Engineering, Building Informatics and Construction Operation ; Architecture, Building and Construction History, Construction Research, Sustainable Building Technology ; Primary Shaping and Reshaping Technology, Additive Manufacturing
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 523403156

For wood materials, only few additive manufacturing processes are currently commercially available or under development. Current technologies do not use original solid wood, but mostly polymer-bound wood powder. However, this deprives the wood of its inherent structural and mechanical properties as well as its characteristic aesthetics. This results in very limited use for architectural, wood/furniture and interior design or technological applications. Furthermore, the high proportion of polymer matrix contradicts the ecological potential of the material. The Wood3Dprint research project therefore aims to explore solution strategies for additive manufacturing with solid wood filaments. With the help of the technology to be researched, it should be possible to additively manufacture CO2-neutral components while completely preserving the inner structure of the wood. For this purpose, fine filaments from wooden rails or veneer strips will be used and applied three-dimensionally according to a defined shape by using digital construction and manufacturing techniques and minimising the use of adhesives. Precise dosing technologies and strategies for rapid curing are to be used to ensure that the adhesive systems used are low-emission and conserve resources. Research will be carried out to determine the extent to which free shaping on an architectural scale is possible and high material efficiency is achieved through topology-optimised designs. While most additive manufacturing processes have long process times due to the filigree layer structure, Wood3Dprint will investigate whether it is possible to use wood filaments to produce large-scale components in short printing processes. This will enable the creation of wood-based materials and components that enable the ecological, sustainable construction of complex architectural forms in timber construction. Wood3Dprint is intended to be scalable so that the technology is suitable for lightweight construction applications in interior design, furniture construction or the mobility sector.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants