A new 3D-printing process that utilises wood has launched offering designers a new way to produce sustainable wood pieces for home decor and interiors.

Forust is a new process to sustainably produce functional end-use wood parts using patented single pass binder jetting additive manufacturing technology.

The Forust process upcycles waste byproducts from wood manufacturing (cellulose dust) and the paper industry (lignin) and re-materialises functional wood parts through high-speed 3D printing including digital grain throughout the part.

Launched by Massachusetts-based 3D-printing manufacturing company Desktop Metal, Forust began with a vision to transform wood byproducts, including sawdust and lignin, into finished wood products, combining both stunning design and functionality. The company’s mission is to develop responsible material value chains that are critical to achieving net-zero carbon emissions and building a sustainable future.

Andrew Jeffery, CEO of Forust, said: “The inspiration for Forust was to begin with sawdust and end with forests. Our process is based on extensive research conducted over the past decade in the field of hardwood lumber, leading to complex and elegant finished structures. Through advanced CAD software, proprietary materials and Desktop Metal binder jetting mass production platforms, we can now manufacture beautiful, functional and innovative wood products for a variety of architectural, interior, and home goods applications from upcycled wood byproducts.”

Businesses and consumers can visit the Forust website to order samples and custom wood designs, and manufacturers can engage with Forust to develop unique wood parts for their end-use products.

The Forust technology is enabling designers and architects to take something that was previously wood waste and re-materialise it into useful products. It also gives manufacturers a fully sustainable solution at costs competitive with traditional wood manufacturing.

Architect William McDonough said: “By allowing millions of trees to remain in place in their forests, Forust is launching a highly evolved technology for the circular technosphere that supports and celebrates stewardship of the natural, regenerative, and diverse biosphere, making it not only smart, but wise. This is a historic and material opportunity in the history of design and the making of things that reminds me of Arthur C. Clarke’s famous quote, ‘Any technology that is sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic.’ As a lover of wood and forests, I find Forust indistinguishable from magic. The 3D printing of wood using waste natural materials is a gamechanger. We have only begun to explore its beneficial potentials, but it is clear they are immense.”

Image Source: Forust

Forust

Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyle including sustainable and green living.