How fast the wood ink is laid down changes the degree of alignment in the fibres in the ink, and consequently the warping when it driesĪ slower printing speed leaves the particles more randomly oriented, so shrinkage occurs in all directions. The ultimate shape of the object once it's dried can also be controlled by adjusting print speed, the team found. Meanwhile, a disc printed as a series of rays emanating from a central point turns into a dome or cone-like structure.Īnd stacking two rectangular layers that are printed in different orientations yields a helix after drying.
The team have now shown that the way the ink is laid down, or the 'pathway', dictates the morphing behaviour as the moisture evaporates.įor instance, a flat disc printed as a series of concentric circles dries and shrinks to form a saddle-like structure reminiscent of a Pringles crisp – known by mathematicians as a 'hyperbolic paraboloid'.īack in 2019, the team revealed their environmentally friendly water-based ink composed of wood-waste microparticles known as 'wood flour' (pictured) mixed with cellulose nanocrystals and xyloglucan (natural binders extracted from plants) The researchers printed the wood ink using a 3D printer, which uses software to create a particular design before being printed by robotic equipment.Īutomated robotic arms have a nozzle at the end that emits the printing substance – in this case wood particles – layer by layer. 'Warping can be an obstacle, but we thought we could try to understand this phenomenon and harness it into a desirable morphing,' said Kam.īack in 2019, the team revealed their environmentally-friendly water-based ink composed of wood-waste microparticles known as 'wood flour' mixed with cellulose nanocrystals and xyloglucan (natural binders extracted from plants).
It's already known that plants can alter their own shapes or textures after they have been cut down and change shape as they dry.įor example, when a tree is cut down, it shrinks unevenly and warps because of variations in the orientation of the wood's fibre. 'At the destination, the object could warp into the structure you want,' said graduate student Doron Kam, one of the creators at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The creation could one day spell an end to assembling flat-pack furniture from the likes of IKEA – the stuff of nightmares for many, due to the physical effort and complicated nature of the instructions.
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