Professor Brian Via, director of Auburn’s Forest Products Development Center and principal investigator for the project, explained, “We will manufacture 3D-printed wall panels that can be used in housing and building construction. This will allow for precise construction in a manufacturing environment using sustainable materials that can be shipped to the construction site. Through biobased polymers and fibers, we can 3D print building components that allow for end-of-life recycling.”
“Recently, the US is trending toward mass timber buildings as a first-generation material to reduce our carbon footprint,” Mr. Via added, “However, advanced manufacturing can help to utilize more biomaterial waste from forest resources that can then be 3D printed into housing or building components.”
