British Media: 3D Printed Wood Structure Technology Developed By Israel Can Be Used To Manufacture Furniture in The Future

According to a recent report on the website of new scientist, wood chips are made into 3D printing ink, which is first made into a wet flat plate, and then bent into a three-dimensional shape after drying. This 3D printing method can make wood strong enough to be used to make furniture or building materials in the future.

Doren Kam of the Hebrew University of Israel and his colleagues have developed a technology for 3D printing wood structures, which allows wood to deform in a controlled and predictable manner when it loses moisture.

According to the report, the cell structure and characteristics of wood determine that it will naturally change its shape when it is dried. Researchers used this property to make 3D printing ink from wood waste particles called "wood powder". They use this ink to print out layered or striped objects that bend when dry.

In order to make a bowl with a diameter of 1 meter, they printed out several concentric circles with wood powder ink. According to the past research on wood and wood bending theoretical models, they know that when wood cells dry and contract, the round edges will tilt up instead of keeping the shape of flat disks. The researchers also printed a flat rectangle composed of different strips. These strips will bend in different directions when dried, and eventually form a helix.

Kam said that the bending degree and bending position can be controlled by adjusting the direction and printing speed of the 3D printing strip. He said that this means that there are two ways to control the final shape of the objects made of wood powder ink.

Marcus lugberg of Dresden University of technology in Germany has previously made a solid wood tower by using the bending property of wood when it is dry. Lugberg said that using this 3D printing method, it is difficult to produce a solid structure with a length of more than a few meters.

Kam said his team is working on making more complex shapes. He said that in the distant future, people may be able to grind the dead tree branches in their gardens into powder, and then use a 3D printer to make a beautiful chair.