Swedish scientists learn to use wood for printing

To achieve this, researchers from the Chalmers University of Technology in Goteborg improved traditional ‘ink’ for 3D printers made out of wood fibres.

This ‘ink’ is based on nanocellulose, which contains real wood fibres. This mixture is well suited to printing, but the final creations are not sturdy or porous enough to rival real wood.

The problem was solved in the new mixture using an organic substance called hemicellulose. This component connected the fibres, improving the quality of the printed objects.

What’s more, the 3D printing computer was familiar with the structure of real wood and programmed to work based on this sample.

In the future, this technology will enable printing of furniture and other wooden creations. The demand for processing machines will fall, and the negative environmental impact will be reduced, as the ‘ink’ would be made using wood residues.