PrinTimber Team Wins Hacking For Homebuilding Competition
University of Idaho architecture graduate students took home a $9,000 dollar prize from Boise Entrepreneur Week’s Hacking for Homebuilding Pitch Competition on October 4, 2023.
When Marissa Hilliard joined the University of Idaho College of Art and Architecture, she knew she would combine analytical and creative thinking to work on real life projects. She didn’t expect she would be involved in creating a new sustainable construction material. A team of researchers from U of I and Auburn University are exploring how…
This collaborative research project involving universities in different regions aims to address the complex issue of climate change’s impact on agriculture. Greenhouse gas emissions from farming contribute to climate change, leading to more severe droughts that disrupt water supply for crops, affecting farmers’ livelihoods. The project’s main goal is to enhance agricultural sustainability and food…
In May, Pullman High School AP Chemistry students learned about the molecular deformation of polymers through a hands-on class taught by Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor and PrinTimber Principal Investigator Michael Maughan. The lesson taught the students what happens to polymers when they are stretched on a molecular level. This basic concept is a fundamental building block of science….
The aims of this work were to investigate the printability of high-fraction wood and sodium-silicate composites (WSSC) for additive manufacturing and to develop a screw extrusion-based process to demonstrate this approach for building construction applications. A custom additive manufacturing system was fabricated, and mixtures of 40%–60% wood fiber and 60%–40% sodium silicate were printed. The…
The Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Properties Laboratory and the Agriculture Mechanics Laboratory seeks to hire a postdoctoral fellow with engineering skills that can be applied to analyze 3D printed bio-based composites. We seek engineers who are good at communicating across disciplines, and who see themselves thriving in a highly collaborative environment. The successful candidates will…
Affordable housing is not a luxury, it’s a basic need. University of Idaho is developing technology to make housing more affordable nationwide by using Idaho wood waste to make one of the most sustainable building construction materials on the market. They’re combining sawdust and other wood byproducts with bio-based glue to create a medium…