T.R.H. Liebrand

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Master thesis (1)

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3D printed fiber reinforced lignin

Exploring the options to use wood in an additive manufacturing process

Master thesis (2018) - Thomas Liebrand , Ulrich Knaack , Michela Turrin

Problem definition and objective - Additive manufacturing has already been developed to use various sorts of plastics, metals, composites and concrete. Until now, the most used composite in building materials, natural wood, has not been used in an additive manufacturing process. The potential of using wood in
an additive manufacturing process lies in the complex shapes which could be made, the savings of materials, the wood properties which could be used in a more optimal way and the ease to reproduce an object with high accuracy without the costs of labor. This research will investigate if there are options to use wood in an additive manufacturing process such as 3d printing. The question to answer is; Can wood be used in an additive manufacturing
process? Study design - This research is based on a broad literature survey on the topics of wood, additive manufacturing and state of the art of 3d printing wood. This is followed by an exploration phase where various material mixes are made and tested in a qualitative way in order to get an understanding of the behaviour of the material. The materials are extruded with medical syringes and later on with a 3d printer to see how they behave in this process. Finally a design is made what shows the potential of this material in 3d printing. Focus - This study focusses on the use of the materials cellulose and lignin, which are combined in a 3d printable material. The process is based on the soluble character of lignin, and therefore does not work with a temperature gradient. The materials which are used are Skogcell 90Z bleached kraft WFBR and Indulin AT lignin, both retrieved from softwood in the kraft process and are fully biobased. This research describes a limited amount of material mixes, based on the input materials. Results - Theory about wood and its main components is translated into a production process which leads to a wood based 3d printable material. Material mixes with a content up to 20% of cellulose are tested and printed with a syringe. Materials containing up to 11 % of cellulose are printed with a 3d printer. The result, a wood based 3d printing material.