3D Printer Builds Wooden Houses

At the University of Maine (US), one of the world’s largest 3D printers is using sawdust from the state’s lumber industry to create stylish wooden cabins. The machine is capable of creating the walls, floors, and roof of a 55 m2 house in just 48 hours. The process begins by transforming the sawdust into a 3D-printable building material, by adding a corn-based bioplastic binding agent to hold it together. During the printing process, the sawdust biomaterial is layered so that it gives the impression of solid wood. The scale of the project required the construction of what was at the time the world's largest 3D polymer printer. The sawdust mixture is fed through the printer to create this “BioHome” in four large modules. The modules are then assembled into a lovely finished home with a living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. Incorporated in the construction are conduits for the wiring and plumbing which are added later. The house looks attractive on the outside, and the interior has the feeling of ‘Scandinavian Modern’ design.

This contrasts with printed homes made from concrete, which tend to be boxy and gray. The director of the project points out that “3D Printing with concrete only creates the walls. Our approach is quite different as we print both the exterior and interior surfaces with their own style and texture.” The first prototype was completed in November 2022, and it was immediately tested by a very severe winter. The house stood up perfectly to frigid temperatures that went as low as -42.7 degrees Celsius, plus abundant snow, windstorms and heavy rainfall. This set the stage for commercial construction on a larger scale. The projected cost for one of these homes is only about €40,000. One major reason for the low price is because the sawdust and bioplastic that make up the structure are very inexpensive. In addition, the 3D printing cuts out most of the labour costs of normal home construction. “These homes are also completely recyclable and their design is in harmony with the natural environment,” says the director. “They are super insulated and inexpensive, yet at the end of the day they look really cool.”