3D printed, bioplastic and wood “cassette panels” used in modular skyscraper

In Brooklyn, the world’s tallest modular building is incorporating “living space modules” made out of natural materials 3D printed by a joint project between researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Maine. They hope the SM2ART Nfloor cassette panels could one day replace traditional surface assemblies in multistory buildings. 

The SM2ART floor cassette’s sturdiness comes from its unique formulation of the bioplastic polylactic acid. “The PLA and wood flour blend is an excellent material for producing recyclable, large-format additively manufactured parts,” said Scott Tomlinson, structural engineer with the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center. “This single-piece floor assembly is stiffer and provides an improved walking experience when compared to the steel-concrete assembly it replaces.”

By working continuously and autonomously, the large-scale printer produced the SM2ART Nfloor cassette at scale, layer upon layer, in about 30 hours. The process created a labor-savings of about 33% compared to the effort needed to construct a similar steel floor assembly by hand.

The project is part of the Sustainable Materials & Manufacturing Alliance for Renewable Technologies, or SM2ART, program. The team previously constructed BioHome3D, the nation’s first additively manufactured home made entirely from biologically based materials.