Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has created a pavilion installation, known as Flotsam & Jetsam, which is now one of the world’s largest 3D printed objects.
The installations were commissioned by New York-based architecture firm SHoP Architects, and created by ORNL, Techmer ES and Branch Technology. They were printed using two different types of composites. The pavilions’ canopies utilized custom carbon fiber-reinforced acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) composite materials, which were developed by Techmer ES. The printing itself was done by Branch Technology, which used its free-form cellular fabrication technique.
The pavilions’ seating and counter space were printed with Techmer’s bio-based PLA compound that is reinforced with bamboo fibers. These fibers were printed in DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility located at ORNL using a Cincinnati Incorporated’s Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) machine. Over the past few years, BAAM has been used for ORNL’s record-breaking 3-D printed item, as well as Local Motors’ 3-D printed car and a replica of the Shelby Mustang, among others.
