University receives $4 million grant to study 3D printing with recycled wood. MOSCOW, Idaho – The University of Idaho is developing technology to turn Idaho wood waste into architectural millwork and construction materials on the market – by using it as a medium for 3D-printing. An interdisciplinary research team led by College of Engineering Assistant Professor Michael Maughan has been awarded nearly $4 million from the National Science Foundation’s EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program. Funding through 2025 supports further development and testing of an additive manufacturing process and the design and construction of a 3D printer capable of producing modular wall, floor and roof panels printed from wood for industrial construction. The U of I team has developed an advanced 3D-printing technology using a binding agent and wood fibers not used by the lumber market – like waste wood and sawdust from mills and wood processing plants. As part of the NSF funding, researchers from Auburn University will join the team to continue to refine the binding agent used in the renewable material. U of I continues to lead sustainable building projects like the Idaho Central Credit Union Arena, the country’s first engineered wood venue of its kind, which is scheduled to open next month.

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