According to the Swedish Forest Agency, spruce bark beetle has destroyed around 34 million cubic metres of spruce in southern and central Sweden since 2018 – representing tens of billions of SEK in timber value.
From spruce bark beetle to an idea
It was these figures that prompted designer Simon Mattisson, during his degree project at Beckmans College of Design, to start thinking. What could be done with all this damaged timber?
“My degree project focused on spruce bark beetle. What if you could grind down the timber they had damaged into wood flour and use it in a 3D printer?” he says.
By mixing wood flour with bioplastic made from starch and sugarcane, Simon Mattisson developed a material the 3D printer could work with. The result was something that looks like wood but feels slightly different to the touch.
“That's what captivated me when I first saw the result. You can see it's not quite wood, but it's not plastic either. It really is an entirely new material, and I find that exciting,” says Simon Mattisson.
Experiments, collaborations and new applications
Now he has moved on to experiment with other wood-based materials.
He has printed objects of many different kinds: furniture, artworks and acoustic panels. The latter came about through a collaboration with Gustafs, a manufacturer of timber interiors for public spaces. The aim was to recycle the offcuts generated during production.
“Gustafs' production is very sustainable. They make panels from recycled gypsum, among other things, with a thin layer of high- quality walnut veneer. On each piece of veneer, they trim off a centimetre. That was the bit they wanted to do something with. So I ground down the walnut pieces, made my own composites and 3D-printed new panels,” says Simon Mattisson.
Today's 3D printers can print objects up to two cubic metres in size. This means the technology isn't yet mature enough for industrial production of, say, multi-family timber housing. Whether and when that will happen remains uncertain, according to Simon Mattisson.
“Architectural elements of all kinds in wood should be explored more than they are today when it comes to 3D printing. There are huge possibilities, both in terms of new forms and more efficient use of wood as a material. Everything from cabinet doors to built-in furniture and mouldings. The only thing stopping us is a lack of curiosity and imagination,” he says.
Circularity, limitations and the sawdust of the future
But when it comes to load-bearing structures, solid timber will continue to be the material of choice, according to Simon Mattisson.
“If you 3D-print a structural frame, it ends up hollow in the middle. And it goes without saying that's not a good idea for load-bearing structures,” he says.
Simon Mattisson's printed material currently consists of around 30 percent wood. But he is collaborating with a Finnish materials manufacturer to increase the wood content. The advantage is that offcuts, waste and old panels can all be ground down and used again – time after time.
“You can recycle the same material ten times. A chair can be ground down and become something new, without adding anything else. It's like a circular loop at the molecular level.
Simon Mattisson doesn't see himself as a tech enthusiast, but as a designer who wants to tell stories through materials. His work is as much about communication as innovation – a way of giving new value to what would otherwise be regarded as waste.
“I started by trying to solve a problem in the forest, and ended up in the future. That's how it feels – like I'm creating with the sawdust of tomorrow.
Text: Mattias Boström Images: Erik Djurklou
