With the cannabis legalization movement spreading rapidly throughout many parts of the world, even the 3D printing industry has found ways to make use of this controversial plant. For instance, we’ve seen a handful of specialty hemp-based filaments that are both sustainable and fun to print with.
While hemp can be used for a wide range of applications–from clothing to food–the Australian company Mirreco is taking hemp to new heights. The Perth-based company is working on a process that would use hemp biomass to construct habitable residential homes. Having already developed a machine to process this multi-faceted plant material, removing the most useful components like fibers and seeds, the next step is to integrate additive manufacturing into the mix
By combining this hemp processing technique with 3D printing technology, this plant-based material will soon be used to manufacture building panels for homes. Mirreco is collaborating with the Australian architecture firm Arcforms to showcase the potential of hemp biomass in the construction sector.