Dec 2 2016
Techmer ES (TES) recently partnered with the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Branch Technology to create a large-scale installation for Design Miami utilizing sustainable, bio-derived material.
(Credit: Techmer ES (TES))
TES designed custom carbon fiber-reinforced ABS materials to help build the installation’s arc canopy printed by Branch Technology using their free-form 3-D printing technology. ORNL 3-D printed seating and counter space using TES’s bio-derived PLA compound that is reinforced with bamboo fibers. The bamboo-reinforced components were printed in DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility located at ORNL using a Cincinnati Incorporated Big Area Additive Manufacturing, or BAAM, machine.
“It’s exciting to design and produce high-performance materials for a one-of-a-kind structure,” said Alan Franc, product development manager. “Within a four-week timeframe, we worked through challenges related to the PLA and bamboo fibers and successfully formulated materials that met the installation’s structural and extended outdoor durability needs.”
The installation will be on display at the Design Miami show on November 30 to December 4, featured at the entry of the pavilion.
Source: http://www.techmerpm.com/