Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung BAM, Berlin, Germany.
Institute of Geological Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin Germany.
PLoS One. 2021 Feb 19;16(2):e0246511. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246511. eCollection 2021.
Frass (fine powdery refuse or fragile perforated wood produced by the activity of boring insects) of larvae of the European house borer (EHB) and of drywood termites was tested as a natural and novel feedstock for 3D-printing of wood-based materials. Small particles produced by the drywood termite Incisitermes marginipennis and the EHB Hylotrupes bajulus during feeding in construction timber, were used. Frass is a powdery material of particularly consistent quality that is essentially biologically processed wood mixed with debris of wood and faeces. The filigree-like particles flow easily permitting the build-up of wood-based structures in a layer wise fashion using the Binder Jetting printing process. The quality of powders produced by different insect species was compared along with the processing steps and properties of the printed parts. Drywood termite frass with a Hausner Ratio HR = 1.1 with ρBulk = 0.67 g/cm3 and ρTap = 0.74 g/cm3 was perfectly suited to deposition of uniformly packed layers in 3D printing. We suggest that a variety of naturally available feedstocks could be used in environmentally responsible approaches to scientific material sciences/additive manufacturing.
幼虫的粪便（由蛀虫活动产生的细粉状废物或易碎穿孔木材）和干木白蚁被测试为 3D 打印木质材料的天然新型原料。使用了在建筑木材中进食时由干木白蚁 Incisitermes marginipennis 和欧洲家蠹（EHB）Hylotrupes bajulus 产生的小颗粒。粪便（Frass）是一种特别一致质量的粉状材料，本质上是经过生物处理的木材，混合了木材和粪便的碎片。线状颗粒易于流动，允许使用粘结剂喷射打印工艺以分层方式构建木质结构。比较了不同昆虫物种产生的粉末的质量以及打印部件的加工步骤和性能。干木白蚁粪便的 Hausner 比 HR = 1.1，ρBulk = 0.67 g/cm3 和 ρTap = 0.74 g/cm3，非常适合在 3D 打印中沉积均匀填充的层。我们建议，可以在环保的科学材料科学/增材制造方法中使用各种天然可用的原料。
