Most 3D-printed homes popping up around the world have been built using a concrete mix.
Anthony VuBut the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC) has taken a more novel and sustainable approach to 3D printing homes.
Brittany Chang/InsiderInstead of using concrete, ASCC is printing homes out of wood waste.
Brittany Chang/InsiderThe research and development center has its hands in diverse projects — from floating wind turbines to rebars — all with the goal of creating a sustainable future.
Brittany Chang/InsiderBut we’re not here to talk about all of ASCC’s various side quests.
Brittany Chang/InsiderInstead, on an overcast April afternoon, I visited the college campus to see one of its latest projects: the BioHome 3D.
Brittany Chang/InsiderASCC unveiled this project in November 2022 as the first 3D-printed tiny home made of “bio-based” materials, making it completely recyclable.
Brittany Chang/Insider
Source: Insider
To create the printing material, the center used bio-resins to encapsulate wood residuals from sawmills, creating a durable printing material that gives life to wood waste.
Brittany Chang/InsiderTo do this, ASCC works with various industrial partners that specialize in pallet production around the US.
Brittany Chang/InsiderWe’re all familiar with sawdust. When sawdust is ground even further, it becomes a powder-like cellulose nanofiber.
Brittany Chang/InsiderWhen this is combined with a plastic binder, the nanofibers can turn into a collection of small pellets.
Brittany Chang/InsiderThese pellets are then fed into ASCC’s 3D printer, which is also the world’s biggest polymer 3D printer, according to the university.
Brittany Chang/Insider
Source: University of Maine
This printer essentially functions as a “glue gun with hundreds of settings,” Habib Dagher, the founding executive director of the center and principal investigator of this project, told me when I visited …
Brittany Chang/Insider… turning the pellets into a printing material that acts like the “ink” of the printer.
Brittany Chang/InsiderSomeday, Dagher wants to source the wood and create the pellets locally.
Brittany Chang/InsiderThere’s certainly enough supply to do so: He believes Maine produces enough wood waste to build 100,000 homes annually.
Brittany Chang/Insider
Source: Insider
To create the home, ASCC took a modular and prefab approach to printing.
Brittany Chang/InsiderThe floor, walls, and roof of the 600-square-foot home were printed as four separate, insulated, and pre-wired 200-square-foot modules in ASCC’s manufacturing facility.
Brittany Chang/InsiderIn comparison, many companies only print the walls of the home, often on-site.
IconUsing a flatbed truck, these modules were then moved outside of the facility and installed onto a concrete foundation within half a day.
Brittany Chang/InsiderAn electrician then spent another two hours powering the unit.
Brittany Chang/InsiderBut because it’s a prototype, the home is not connected to plumbing, the center told Insider in January.
Brittany Chang/InsiderNow, it’s undergoing testing — including on the material and its ability to be recycled five times over — to determine what should be changed in the next home.
Brittany Chang/InsiderBut so far, it’s fair to be optimistic: The home has successfully survived what Dagher called Maine’s “very extreme” winter.
Brittany Chang/Insider“This place is so much larger than I expected,” I thought when I first walked into the 600-square-foot home.
Brittany Chang/InsiderThe large windows brightened up the interior despite the overcast afternoon.
Brittany Chang/InsiderAnd while the ceilings weren’t unusually high, they were tall enough to make the space feel open with the natural light.
Brittany Chang/InsiderThe layout wasn’t as open-concept as other tiny homes I’ve seen …
Brittany Chang/Insider… which is to say the bedroom and desk were in their own room separate from the living room and kitchen.
Brittany Chang/InsiderThe bedroom and bathroom were surprisingly spacious — significantly larger than ones I’ve seen in some city apartments.
Brittany Chang/InsiderThe bedroom had large windows, rows of closets, and a desk ….
Brittany Chang/Insider… while the bathroom around the corner had all the typical amenities including a large shower.
Brittany Chang/InsiderThe entrance into the living room and kitchen was across the hall from the bathroom.
Brittany Chang/InsiderHere, the layout looked more like an open-concept living space.
Brittany Chang/InsiderThere was a dining table, seating area, and a sprawling kitchen with a breakfast bar.
Brittany Chang/InsiderOne of the most eye-catching features was the wall that curved into the ceiling. This curve is a signature of 3D printers no matter the printing material.
Brittany Chang/InsiderYou might have noticed that the walls in the bedroom looked like they were printed on an angle …
Brittany Chang/Insider… while the ones in the living room look more parallel.
Brittany Chang/InsiderThroughout the printing process, ASCC tested different printing techniques, creating different final products.
Brittany Chang/InsiderSome of the walls have also been covered with dry wall, appealing to traditionalists.
Brittany Chang/InsiderThe bio-based printing material doesn’t just make for a more sustainable home.
Brittany Chang/InsiderIts brown tone — similar to wood — gives the home a warm ambiance.
Brittany Chang/InsiderIt’s a stark contrast to concrete homes, which gave Icon’s House Zero a more contemporary and sleek look.
Icon’s over 2,000-square-foot House Zero in Austin. Brittany Chang/Insider“[It’s not] just the engineering of the home but the livability aspects,” Dagher said, noting that people who have visited have “loved” the interior colors and the curve of the walls.
Brittany Chang/Insider“Those kinds of livability and ergonomic aspects of the house are very interesting to us and we now have the tools to do it cost-effectively,” he said.
Brittany Chang/InsiderThis home is just the start of ASCC’s printing venture.
Brittany Chang/InsiderThe end goal is to print a home in 48 hours. This one took about 10 times longer.
Brittany Chang/InsiderThe center is now putting together what will be the new largest polymer 3D printer, which will dwarf its current system.
Brittany Chang/InsiderAnd in a year, it’ll begin building an extension of its current manufacturing site. The center has already raised over $80 million for this future facility.
Brittany Chang/InsiderThe future factory’s first project will be a development of nine homes.
Brittany Chang/InsiderThere’s an opportunity for ASCC to make substantial money off of this tech, especially if it sells it to a construction company. But that’s not the goal.
Brittany Chang/InsiderInstead, Dagher says he wants to “franchise” it by building factories in various locations where homes are needed.
Brittany Chang/Insider“Our number one priority is to alleviate the societal problems [like housing and sustainable construction] we are facing right now,” he said. “There’s an opportunity here to harness these biomaterials and help solve these problems.”
