Ongoing projects
Joint project: RePaPro - Material use of soft deciduous trees in building construction. Utilization strategies for woody plants from calamity-following forest communities in the Thuringian Forest
Duration: 01.05.2026 - 30.04.2028
Project Management Agency: Project Management Jülich
Alliance coordinator: Erfurt University of Applied Sciences, Dean of the Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Forestry, Chair of Forest Technology and Forest Utilization
Project partner:
- Institute for Applied Building Research Weimar gemeinnützige GmbH (IAB) - Alliance coordinator
- TU Dresden, Chair of Wood Technology and Wood-Based Bioeconomy (TUD-HFT)
- TU Dresden, Chair of Forest Utilization (TUD-FN)
Subproject 2 (TUD-HFT, TUD-FN)
"Investigation of suitable wood assortments and development of insulating materials as well as development of thermal insulation systems and demonstrator wall elements3D printing with wood-based materials. Development of a resource-efficient, additive manufacturing technology for the production of durable consumer goods."
As part of the "Holz-21-regio" alliance, the RePaPro project aims to contribute to strengthening regional value creation in the forest and wood sector in Thuringia. The aim of sub-project 2 is to estimate the quantity and dimensions of pioneer tree species (birch, poplar, willow, rowan) for material use for fiber insulation boards and to test their suitability for this purpose. Furthermore, insulating materials of various designs are to be developed and used for the production of thermal insulation systems and demonstrator wall elements. These should be particularly suitable for serial processing. In addition, a manufacturing process is to be developed for the production of the insulating materials and the parameters of known processes and technologies are to be adapted to the special features of the new wood assortments.
Joint project: Development of self-forming, curved wooden furniture; Sub-project 2: Material characterization and long-term behaviour of the self-forming elements - Acronym: SefoMoe
Project leader: Prof. Dr. Markus Rüggeberg
Duration: 01.07.2023 - 31.12.2026
Project sponsor: FNR
Seating furniture often consists of curved components. In wooden seating furniture, the curvatures are realized by external forces using individually shaped pressing tools. The aim of the project is to realize curved wooden components for seating furniture in a new type of self-forming process. The process is based on the anisotropic structure of the wood, which is reflected in the anisotropic shrinkage behavior. In a bilayer with a crosswise arrangement of the two glued layers, this leads to a curvature in the drying process that can be programmed "into the material" and predicted. The aim is to develop locking mechanisms that lock into place at a predetermined curvature and greatly limit the curvature variability caused by inhomogeneity in the wood anatomy, thereby ensuring precision and dimensional stability. The curved shape is realized without external forces and pressing tools. This enables flexible production with different curvatures and geometries for small and medium-sized companies. By relocating the drying process immediately before the furniture is used, it can be transported while still flat, which leads to a significant reduction in transport volume. Together with a digital design and a new design language, the overarching goal of the project is to use self-forming technology to enable economical, customer-centric individualization in furniture construction, one of the key aspects of "Industry 4.0".
Joint project: Additive manufacturing in the toy and furniture industry. Sub-project A: Technology development with application partners: Material development and upscaling - Acronym: AFIN
Project leader: Prof. Dr. Markus Rüggeberg
Duration: 01.12.24 - 31.05.26
Project sponsor: PT-J (BMBF)
The AFIN project aims to transfer the technology of additive manufacturing with wood-based materials into practice. As part of the transfer strategy, entrepreneurs in Saxony and beyond are to be shown the possibilities of the new technology. Interested parties are to be identified, 3D printing is to be demonstrated in workshops, new application possibilities are to be developed and the material and technology are to be further developed together with the practical partners. The overall objective is to create a regional 3D printing innovation ecosystem that lays the foundations for greater sustainability in wood processing.
Sub-project A has several objectives:
- To attract the attention of potential users of the technology through publications in specialist print media.
- Research results are to be communicated in workshops.
- New areas of application are to be developed.
- The feedback given by workshop participants is to be evaluated in a targeted manner.
- The technology (material and process) should be further developed on the basis of user feedback.
- The technology must be adapted to the needs of the users.
The following video entitled "Revolutionizing 3D-Printing of Wood with Liquid Deposition Modelling" gives an impression of Dr. Michael Rosenthal's innovative research: