Investigations on Mechanical Properties of Wood Composite for Sustainable Manufacturing

The additive manufacturing technique is foreseen to be the future of the manufacturing industries as it reduces material wastage and enables the machining of intricate shapes. Likewise, the unavailability of skilled laborers has drastically affected the engineering sector. Similarly, the high initial cost and biodegradability issues with the currently seen thermosetting polymer-based 3D printers limit their usage over the long run. Therefore, it is necessary to find better environment friendly alternatives that are renewable and sustainable. This paper proposes a wood powder-binder composite material for potential use in additive manufacturing systems and the preliminary results are presented. A study on the various mechanical properties of the prepared biodegradable wood powder-binder composite material is carried out. This methodology finds application in pattern making and prototyping.