3D printing of cellulosic materials (webinar)

Description

3D printing makes on-demand and on-site manufacturing possible, shortening the production chain and lowering the amount of waste produced. It is a practical manufacturing method for small objects, additions, moulds, complicated or tailored complex geometries and light structures. The main advantage of the 3D-printing is the possibility for direct manufacturing from the CAD data. Currently the method is mostly being used for metals, plastics, ceramics and food. Novel applications include custom-made consumer goods, bioprinting or tissue engineering and medical devices.
Cellulosic materials offer a sustainable and biodegradable alternative to the currently used 3D-printing materials, which under processing might generate harmful emissions and even allergenic compounds. Cellulose is non-allergic, tolerating high temperatures, and is an excellent electric insulator material, which can be processed with many 3D-printing methods. The wide modification potential of cellulose further spreads the application field of 3D-printed cellulosic materials.
This webinar discusses the basic properties for successful 3D-printing of cellulosic materials and selected case studies will be covered. Since native cellulose is not thermoplastic, it cannot be processed similarly with 3D-printers as plastics. Cellulosic materials include wood powders, fibres, fibrils, and polymeric cellulose. These materials have varying properties, enabling a wide range of different type 3D-printed applications. In this presentation, we summarize basic concepts to process cellulosic materials through 3D-printing.

Period	6 Jul 2018
Held at	VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
Degree of Recognition	International