3D Printed Wood? It’s Here, and It’s Smarter Than It Sounds

Desktop Metal is a company pioneering new advances in 3D printing. They’ve successfully printed plastics, metal, and now, are venturing into 3D printed wood, with a new spinoff called Forust. 🌲🌲🌲

And as counter-intuitive as 3D printed wood sounds, it’s actually a very smart use of material. Using byproducts of wood production, like sawdust and paper pulp, they are able to combine it with lignin and a binding agent, and create stunning objects that look like they were carved out of blocks of wood.

Replicating wood grains is one aspect of the technology, but another is to create forms that would be nearly impossible with traditional wood carving. And the reuse of leftover material means that the wood that is cut down is used more fully, making it more sustainable than it would otherwise be.

Even more exciting is the prospect of a circular process for wood manufacturing, where old or broken products could be ground up and reprinted into something new. 🌲🌲🌲

Via Fast Company: