14 DAY TRIAL // The field of 3D printing is advancing at a fast rate, infiltrating itself in every sector of human activity, thus becoming more and more useful.
But that’s not to say 3D printing can’t be used for making art as well. That’s exactly what a 35-year-old artist from Netherlands named Eric Klarenbeek is doing. In the process, he also managed to come up with an innovative 3D printing material that, unlike bioplastic filament, is quite eco-friendly.
Our artist is borrowing from mother earth in order to 3D print some exceptionally looking chairs. For his project, he ended up using fungus – yes, you heard that right, fungus.
In order to make mushrooms 3D printing material, he used straw and infused it with Mycelium fungus. As fungus is easily drawn to straw, he preceded to use the resulted material as a sort of filament for his 3D printer.
But unlike most FDM printers out there, the one used by Klarenbeek doesn't use heating. Why not? Because it doesn't need to melt down any plastic, since it deals with organic matter, instead. Apart from that, the printer works exactly like any FDM.
After the mixture is given the desired form, our artist put the concoction to soak in water, leaving it there for a few days.
And this is where the magic happens – the mycelium fungus spreads replacing the water while merging with the straw mixture.
Using this seemingly easy technique, the Dutch artist managed to create objects that are extremely light and have a consistence reminiscent of a cork.
But such a piece of furniture couldn't sustain the weight of a human being, so Klarenbeek had to reinforce his creation somehow.
The result is that after a few days you get quite a solid, sturdy piece of furniture which reminds of fairy tales with mushrooms growing on top of the structure per se.
Moreover, there are the energy saving costs to consider, because the mushroom mix doesn't have to be heated.
Are we headed for a bio era in 3D printing?