Additive Timber Manufacturing: A Novel, Wood-Based Filament and Its Additive Robotic Fabrication Techniques for...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Additive Manufacturing
• Sustainable Construction

Background:

• Additive manufacturing (AM) offers resource-efficient fabrication but lacks scalable timber construction technologies.
• Existing wood AM processes use pulverized wood, compromising structural integrity.
• There is a need for AM methods that utilize intact wood fibers for enhanced material properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a new wood-based material for additive manufacturing that retains the structural integrity of wood fibers.
• To investigate the fabrication of a continuous willow filament and its application in robotic AM.
• To evaluate the structural capacity, fabrication constraints, and sustainability of the proposed material and methods.

Main Methods:

• Development of a material technology to create a solid, continuous filament from willow twigs.
• Investigation of binding and robotic additive manufacturing techniques for various geometric typologies (flat, curved, lamination, hollow).
• Characterization of the willow filament and composite material for structural capacity and fabrication constraints.

Main Results:

• Successful fabrication of a continuous willow filament that maintains wood's fiber structure.
• Demonstration of robotic AM for diverse geometric forms using the willow material.
• Characterization data indicating the structural capacity and fabrication feasibility of the new material.

Conclusions:

• The developed willow filament and AM technology offer a sustainable alternative for timber construction.
• This approach preserves wood's inherent properties, unlike pulverized wood AM methods.
• Potential applications in the construction industry are identified, with avenues for future research.