Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are using bamboo fibre in 3-D printing experiments to determine whether bio-based feedstock materials are feasible in additive manufacturing.

Chopped bamboo fibres were added to a bio-polymer resin to create bamboo-based pellets, resulting in a more sustainable material that can be used for manufacturing moulds, prototypes, appliances, and furniture. The research team 3-D printed a table that contains 10 per cent bamboo fibre composite.

ORNL from Soydan Ozcan said, “We are investigating the use of different types of cellulose fibres to develop feedstock materials with better mechanical performance that can increase the number of available composites and opportunities for sustainable practices.” (GK)