Corteza: 3D Printing Cork-based Bio-Composite Materials for Design Applications

One of the world’s biggest pollution problems is noise, not only outside but also in indoor spaces of buildings. This paper focuses on the potential of using cork stopper waste to create a bio-composite for 3D printed furniture that helps tackling excessive noise levels in confined spaces. The experimentation first focused on creating a natural binder suitable for cork granules and 3D printing. Several different prototype mixtures were fabricated throughout the process with three different cork granule sizes and with the addition of clay to increase the material's strength, flexibility, and noise absorption coefficient. Intensive testing of various biocomposite types demonstrated how different sizes of cork granules react to sound waves when they are printed with different geometries. The resulting chair prototype proved an effective and promising performance of 3D-printed cork bio-composites for furniture inside our homes.